


can i go where you go?

by percasbeths



Series: songs that remind me of percabeth [16]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Canon Compliant, College, F/M, New Rome (Percy Jackson), Post-Canon, Post-The Heroes of Olympus, percabeth, rick won't give it to me so i took matters into my own hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 56,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24702976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/percasbeths/pseuds/percasbeths
Summary: She’s practically jumping from excitement– She gave Percy about five times to back out, but each time, he just waved her off and shot her a smile, saying he wanted to do this.There was a cliche that she’d heard frequently in romance movies– The whole notion that you knew a boy was truly head over heels for you when he’d do anything you asked him to. Since they were 16 years old, Percy complied to any one of Annabeth’s wishes without a single question asked. It didn’t matter how big or small the request was, he would bend over backwards for her and anytime Annabeth mentioned it, he would just give her a kiss and say that her happiness was worth it all. And for as much as that terrified her– having Percy do anything she wished, it also thrilled her.or, the unofficial percabeth college novella that rick refuses to give us.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: songs that remind me of percabeth [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763155
Comments: 206
Kudos: 572





	1. PART I — FRESHMAN YEAR

**Author's Note:**

> TO BUILD TIMELINE:  
> \- completely canon complaint, or at least as much as i can (jason’s dead, hazel & frank are praetors, and reyna has joined the hunters, piper, leo, will, and nico are all at chb for the summer)  
> \- um timeline for riordanverse kinda weird but its post the burning maze- i think burning maze happens in april, this starts end of august, which is when a semester would start  
> \- for sake of this, new rome university is considered another, private branch of uc berkeley that the gods have modified with the mist– so later on students can take classes at uc berkeley and credit transfers work! i needed to add that for concise-ness and because rick literally does not elaborate at all AND CHB campers are allowed at NRU and CJ campers can spend summers at CHB. there's an alliance  
> \- also, let's imagine that they have smart phones okay it's literally 2020

**_PART I — FRESHMAN YEAR_ **

“ _They'd been through so much together, at this point Percy was part of her--a sometimes annoying part, sure, but definitely a part she could not live without._ ”

\- House of Hades

**SOUNDTRACK** :

death by a thousand cuts - taylor swift

beside you - 5 seconds of summer

used to you - mxmtoon

holy ground - taylor swift

taken - hayley williams

place we were made - maisie peters

somewhere only we know - keane


	2. Chapter I, Part I

**ANNABETH**

Annabeth wakes up to a heavy weight on her back and she lets out a huff, “Percy, get off me.”

Percy says nothing in response, but she feels his body shift and she turns, their faces inches apart on Percy’s pillow. He’s awake, and he reaches across and pushes a strand of hair out of her face, “Good morning.”

She grins, “Good morning.”

“It’s our last day at camp.” 

“I know.”

“Excited?”

“ _Terrified_.”

He laughs, a low, raspy laugh that sends a jolt through Annabeth’s chest, and leans over and presses a kiss to her cheek. “Come on, Wise Girl. Let’s get breakfast.”

Although they _technically_ weren’t allowed to bunk in other cabins, there was an unspoken exception to the rule for Percy and Annabeth. Ever since their return from the battle with Gaia, Annabeth would catch herself tossing her Yankees cap on and sneaking into Cabin 3 and at some point, she just disregarded the cap all together and although campers would see her emerge from the cabin in the morning, no one said a word.

Annabeth gets up out of the bed and gives Percy a kiss on his cheek, “I’m gonna go change. I’ll meet you in the mess hall?”

He nods, and she makes her way out of the cabin and into her own. Her siblings are all already awake, and Malcolm shoots her a bright smile, “Last day as a camper, Annabeth.”

“Don’t remind me.”

He laughs, “Are you at least gonna spend your last night with your siblings? Percy gets you for the rest of the year.” She throws a pillow at him, but she’s smiling and so’s he. “Yeah, I’ll spend tonight with you guys.”

There’s a different energy to the mess hall when Annabeth and Percy are inside. He’s sitting at the Athena table, despite the fact that rules are set, and campers keep stealing glances at the two of them as if this is the last time they’ll ever see them. The day goes by in a typical, Camp Half-Blood fashion, with Percy guiding campers through sparring techniques and a quick game of capture the flag, and by dinner, she's continuously swallowing back tears. 

They’re at the bonfire, and Annabeth’s head is on Percy’s shoulder as he makes her a s’more, a small blanket draped over the two of them. She’s staring into the fire with a blank expression, and Percy gives her a tap on the head, “You okay?”

She sits up, taking the s’more from his hand and shrugging, “Yeah, I just– I’m gonna miss this.”

“We’ll come back next year, and we’ll even visit during Christmas for a bit. It’s not like we’re never coming back.” Percy reassures her, and Annabeth turns to him. The red flames make his eyes glow particularly green, and Annabeth can see the slight worry in them, which sends a rush of adoration through her. 

“Yeah, but,” She’s trying to figure out how to word this, and Percy gives her hand a small squeeze, “This camp has been my home for _so_ long. I always came back, and I know I’m going to come back again, but it’ll be different, y’know? We’re not children anymore.”

She doesn’t realize there’s tears in her eyes till she feels one roll down her cheek, and she shakes her head, “It’s just weird to imagine not being a camper.”

“To be fair, have we _really_ been campers these past two years?” Percy asks, “I mean, last summer we battled Gaia and then spent the rest of it fixing the camp up and then this year was more us training with new campers than us being campers.” 

“True.” Annabeth’s laugh is watery, and Percy wipes at a stray tear on her cheek, “I’m not gonna act like I’m not terrified, because I really am. I mean– I’ve spent _all_ my life in New York, but I’m excited too. I didn’t think I’d even get through high school, and now I’m going to college? Full-ride?”

His voice holds an awe that Annabeth finds endearing, and she uses her shoulder to give him a small shove, “And with your girlfriend.”

“And with my _amazing_ girlfriend.” 

She kisses him, and two younger campers approach the two of them, a cake in their hands. Across it, scrawled in blue icing, is _‘Good Luck in New Rome_!’ and Annabeth lets herself cry as her siblings from Cabin 6 pull her into hugs. Percy’s hand is still in hers as they’re given new beads for their camp necklaces. This time, the beads have a graduation cap and the New Rome University emblem, and Annabeth slides into her necklace, then helps Percy with his. 

She spends the rest of the bonfire engulfed in hugs, good-lucks, and small presents, and by the end of the night, she’s exhausted from the amount of times she’s cried. For a moment, she’s alone in the Athena cabin, double checking all her bags are packed and just taking in the silence, giving herself a moment to breath. Piper had come in and helped her in the morning, and she sits down on her bunk, the same one she was assigned when she first came and stuck with, when Piper walks in. 

“How are we feeling?” Her voice is soft as she sits down beside Annabeth, “Do you need me to Charmspeak some confidence into you to help?” 

Annabeth laughs, but it's not quite coming from the heart, and Piper wraps her arm around her shoulder, “You’re gonna be fine, Annabeth.”

“I’m just gonna miss this place so much.” Her voice is shaky, and her head falls onto Piper’s shoulder, “I mean, I know I’m only here on off seasons, but it used to be only hours away. Now it’s going to be across the country and I just– I _hate_ that.”

“Hey, if it ever comes down to it, I’m sure Nico could shadow travel and pick you guys up. Or, you know, Blackjack could show up.” She’s trying to cheer Annabeth up, but those two sentences somehow make her sadder, and she’s once again wiping at tears. “I’ve never cried this much ‘till now. What the hell?”

“It’s okay to cry.” Piper’s voice is so soft, so inviting, that Annabeth falls apart in her arms. She doesn’t know whether Piper had laced her words with charmspeak or not, but her arms are around Piper and she’s absolutely soaking her shirt with tears, but Piper’s rubbing her back soothingly and keeps whispering words of reassurance into her hair. 

“Can you do me a favor, you know, while you’re in New Rome?” Piper asks once Annabeth’s tears have subsided, and she nods, lifting her head to meet her friend’s eyes, “Of course.”

“Can you visit Jason for me?” Piper’s voice is barely a whisper, and Annabeth can see the unshed tears shining in her eyes, “I just– I know I’m gonna visit you guys eventually, or else I think you’d actually hurt me, but I _need_ you to say hi.”

Annabeth rests her forehead against Piper’s, “Percy and I were already planning to, but I’ll make sure we say hi from you, Pipes. And yeah, I would. It’s a 6 hour car ride, you’ll live.”

Piper laughs, wiping at a stray tear on her cheek, “Thank you.”

They return back to packing everything up and by the time the rest of the cabin members are coming in for bed, she’s officially all packed up and curled up on her mattress. 

  
  
  


The next morning, Annabeth’s on Percy’s bed as Sally Jackson embarrassingly scolds how messy his room is. “You’re leaving for New Rome tomorrow morning and you _still_ have laundry under your bed?”

Percy, who was laying on the floor with Estelle on his stomach, looks up at his mom with a bored expression, “If they’re down there, I think that means I don’t need them in New Rome.”

“ _Percy Jackson_!” Annabeth has to bite back a laugh as Percy jumps off the floor, placing Estelle beside Annabeth and begins gathering his clothes up and placing them in his hamper. Annabeth shifts her position and places Estelle between her legs, her arms around her stomach as she lets the five-month-old watch her brother and her mom pack up Percy’s room. 

“See, Stel, this is why you don’t listen to your older brother at all.” Annabeth says softly into her ear, and Percy shoots her a quick glare as he pulls open his suitcase, “Oh, ha ha.” 

Annabeth grins, and Sally just watches with an amused expression, adding a pile of clothes to the suitcase. Estelle is holding onto Annabeth’s hands as Percy sits down on the bed beside them, ignoring the way his mom is still glaring at him to work on clearing out his desk.

“In a minute,” He responds, wrapping his arms around Annabeth and tugging her against him, “Let me take a break.”

“Percy, I’m not having Sally get mad at me because you’re being lazy.” Annabeth responds, yet she rests her head back against his chest. She can feel his laugh against her back, “She loves you, she could never get mad at you. Right, mom?”

Sally’s watching the interaction with a knowing look, then picks up one of Percy’s shirts and throws it towards them. “Come on, up. Annabeth, sweetheart, can you help sort through his desk?”

Annabeth wriggles out of Percy’s grip and complies, sitting at the desk and begins picking through a pile of papers. Most of them are old tests and papers, which she quickly throws away. “Only keep the pictures.” Percy says, from his bed, and Annabeth picks up a balled up paper and throws it at his face. “Help me, Seaweed Brain.”

An hour later, his desk is completely ridded of all his old school papers and he’s sorting through a bunch of old photos on his bed. Sally left to put Estelle to bed, but only after making the two of them promise they would get everything done. 

“Aw, look at this.” Annabeth coos, picking up a photo and flashing it to Percy. It was of a younger him and his mom, a bright smile on his face as he held up a gold medal, clad in nothing but blue swim trunks. Percy grins, “Third grade swim meet. I never lost.”

“Wonder why.” Annabeth jokes, and Percy laughs, giving her a small shove. She drops it in the box, then picks up a photo that seems crumpled, and she immediately recognizes it. “Hey, wait– I sent you this, when we were like, 13!”

Percy’s blushing as Annabeth looks up at him, the photo dangling in her fingertips. He rubs the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his lips, “Yeah, I kinda printed it out. And carried it in my binder. And didn’t really tell anyone. I literally printed it at the library so my mom wouldn’t make fun of me for it.”

Annabeth’s staring at him, a blush on her cheeks. “Really?”

He nods once, and Annabeth leans over the photos and kisses him. “You really _are_ a Seaweed Brain.”

His cheeks are redder, “Yeah, yeah. Go back to sorting.” She doesn’t notice that he puts that photo in the pile he’s taking with him.

  
  


It’s well into the late afternoon by the time Percy’s room is cleared out, and Annabeth’s sitting at the kitchen island helping Sally roll out blue chocolate chip cookie dough while Percy’s showering. Estelle is lying with Paul in the living room, cartoons playing on the tv and Annabeth can faintly hear the theme song for _Adventure Time_.

“So, you excited for New Rome?” Sally asks her, placing a tray filled with cookies in the oven, and Annabeth nods, “I mean, yeah.”

“That’s not the excitement you usually hear from a future college kid.” Sally frowns, and pushes the bowl of cookie dough away. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Annabeth meets Sally’s eyes almost shyly, and nods once again, “I’m just nervous, I guess. College is like– It’s the stepping stone to your future, and I don’t know, I’m kind of just realizing we _really_ are growing up.”

“Oh, Annabeth, feeling like that is completely normal.” Sally sighs, and she reaches over and holds onto Annabeth’s hand, “Growing up, especially when you go from high school to college, is scary, but believe me: You are going to _love_ college. You’re going to meet so many new people, discover new passions– You may even surprise yourself.”

“Can I admit something?” Annabeth’s voice is so small, and Sally nods, her eyes holding nothing but warmth as she gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, “Of course.”

“What if–” She lets out a shaky exhale, “What if while we’re there Percy finds someone new? Like– I know we’ve been through so much but what if that was all circumstantial? And you’re his mom and I’m just his girlfriend so you’re kind of biased but I mean there’s probably going to be some amazing demigods at New Rome and I just– I don’t know.”

She’s rambling nervously and Sally gives her a small, almost sad smile, “Annabeth, sweetheart.”

She comes around the island and embraces her in a hug, and Annabeth welcomes the warmth as she wraps her arms around the older woman. “Percy cares _so_ much about you, and I’m not just saying that because I’m his mom.” Sally begins, pulling away so she can look into Annabeth’s eyes, “You are so much _more_ than just his girlfriend. You and Percy… You two are something so special. Trust me when I say this, I don’t think he could ever leave you. Yes, you had circumstances that forced the two of you together, but the feelings, the love? There is nothing circumstantial about that.” 

Annabeth’s teary eyed as she nods, and Sally hugs her once again. “And Annabeth, you are so much more than just his girlfriend to me as well. You’re family, too.” She says that into Annabeth’s hair and that causes Annabeth to squeeze just a bit tighter, “Thank you.”

They pull apart and return back to the cookies, and when Percy’s out of the shower, he and Annabeth decide to go pick up pizza for dinner. They’re walking hand in hand towards Percy’s favorite pizzeria, and she’s in one of his hoodies with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

“What are you gonna miss most about this city?” Annabeth asks Percy as they cross the street, and Percy pauses for a moment, shoving his phone into his pocket. “My family.”

“Besides that. Something about New York.” 

“The food, probably, and the subway. It's so easy to get around here.” He gives her hand a small squeeze, “You?”

“The skyline.” She says it almost wistfully, as if she’s sighing, “I mean, Berkeley is pretty and San Francisco has a pretty skyline, but nothing compares to New York City. I’ll miss being able to look at it whenever I want.”

“That’s such a you answer.” Is Percy’s response, and Annabeth gives him a punch on the shoulder that makes him laugh as they enter the pizzeria. “You’re the one who said food!”

“Yeah, well, I can’t get a NYC cart gyro or a soft pretzel in New Rome, can I?” He responds, giving a wave to the cashier as he swipes his card and Annabeth takes the pizza boxes. “Doesn’t the mess hall in New Rome work the same way as Camp Half-Blood? So, couldn’t you just ask for a NYC gyro? Or pretzel?”

“I don’t appreciate you being a smart-ass right now.” 

Annabeth laughs, watching Percy pocket his wallet, “I wanted _depth_ , Seaweed Brain.”

They exit the restaurant and Percy takes the boxes out of Annabeth’s arms and holds them in one hand while entertaining his other one in hers, “I’m gonna miss my roof.”

“Why would you– _Oh_.” It takes Annabeth a moment, but once the realization hits her, she’s filled with a rush of warmth and her heart flutters. During the school year, whenever Percy felt particularly stressed out or having a bad day, he and Annabeth devised a system. They’d meet up and go straight up to his roof with food and blankets and just lay together, talking about everything and nothing all at once. Annabeth stands up on her toes and kisses his cheek, “We’ll find a roof in New Rome, too.”

He grins, and lets go of her arm so he can wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against him, “Yeah,” he says in a whisper, pressing a kiss to her hair, “We will.”

They make it back to the apartment and the smell of fresh baked cookies is lingering in the air, and before Percy can even try to take one, Sally shoots him a look, “Dinner first.”

“I’m literally eighteen.” 

“And? You’re still under my roof.” She responds, opening up the pizza boxes and sitting down at the dining table beside Paul. He lets out a huff, but sits down at the table anyway, beside Annabeth. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“When tomorrow comes you can follow your own rules. But for the next few hours,” She narrows her gaze, handing him a plate, “You’re still a child. You and Annabeth are on dish duty.”

Annabeth’s laughing, and Percy rolls his eyes, placing a pizza slice on his plate, “I love that you find joy in my misery. I love you, too.”

She places a messy kiss to his cheek, “Make fun of me again and I won’t help you with the dishes.”

“Did I tell you your hair looks pretty today?” 

Annabeth rolls her eyes.

  
  
  


It’s later in the night and Annabeth’s wiping down the kitchen counter as Percy’s finishing up the dishes. Sally came in and gave them a quick good night, reminding them that the couch is made for Percy and that she can take Percy’s bed. Despite the fact that they know they have an early morning flight, which in itself is absolutely terrifying to Percy, he makes a big ice cream sundae and grabs a bunch of cookies and they curl up together on the couch. 

“Can’t believe it's my last night in this house and I’m banished to the couch.” He says, spooning ice cream into his mouth, and Annabeth laughs. “You’re such a baby.”

“I’m just saying!” 

“Well, you’re gonna have a random roommate in a day. Stop whining.”

“So will you!” He retorts, and Annabeth shrugs, “I went to boarding school, remember? I’m used to random roommates. And while your cabin at camp was empty, mine was full. So, you know– not the same boat.”

It wasn’t something they discussed aloud, but they did decide against jumping into moving in together. It was more of an unspoken thing, and when Annabeth casually mentioned that she signed up for dorming he agreed to it without asking questions, which made Annabeth even more grateful for him. 

“I can’t wait to not have to sneak around your dorms this time.” He says, and Annabeth hits his forehead with her spoon, causing him to jerk back. “Ow! What was that for!”

“You know what it was for.” She retorts, and he just rolls his eyes, raising his hand to rub his forehead. “You’re the worst.”

“I’m going to bed.”

“Wait, no!” He grabs her hand before she can get up, pulling her against him. She laughs, and he has a playful pout on his lips that he knows Annabeth can’t say no to. “It’s our last night here.”

“We need to stop acting like we’re never coming back.” She says, takes the empty ice cream bowl from his hands and drops it on the coffee table in front of them. She then takes hold of his arms and buries herself in his chest, wrapping his arms around her. He lets out a small sigh, nuzzling his face into her neck. “I know we’re coming back, but it will be different.”

“How? It’s still your home.” 

“After I leave for college, every time I come it’s going to be like I’m visiting– Like I’m a guest.” He’s using his fingers to draw random patterns on her forearm, and the action sends shivers down Annabeth’s spine, “I’m never going to move back here for good, you know? This is my last night ever living with my mom and Paul and Estelle permanently.”

She hums a response, turning her head so she can look at him. From her position, she can see the way his jaw is clenched and he’s gnawing on his bottom lip, his eyes staring straight ahead at the blank wall. Annabeth presses a kiss to his jaw, “No matter what, you’re still welcome here. It’s still your house.”

“Yeah, but it’s not my _home._ Or at least it won’t be, anymore.” 

“You’re gonna have a new home, though.” Annabeth reassures him, her voice a low whisper, “Maybe a better one.” 

“Of course it’ll be better. It’ll be with you.” He doesn’t skip a beat as he says it, and he looks down at Annabeth with a blush dusting his cheeks and a shy smile, “I mean, only if you want to.”

She gives him an incredulous look, “Why wouldn’t I want to?”

He shrugs, “Maybe you’ll find someone in New Rome.”

Annabeth sits up, turning in his arms so she can face him, and her arms go around his neck. “Seaweed Brain, I don’t care who I find in New Rome. _You_ are my home.”

His fingers are brushing against a sliver of skin on her back where her shirt rode up and Annabeth can feel goosebumps forming on her skin. He gives her a small kiss, “You’re my home too. Wherever you are, I want to be there, too.”

She kisses him again, this time with a bit more intensity. She is extremely aware of the fact that Percy’s parents and little sister are only a wall away, but his arms tighten around her and all she wants is to keep kissing him, but she forces herself to pull away. “I love you.”

He grins, pecking her lips one last time, “I love you, too.” 

  
  
  


Sally’s in tears when they pull into JFK’s drop off zone, and they all stumble out of the car in a heap. Estelle fell asleep during the car ride so all Percy can do is give her a light kiss on the cheek, careful to not wake her, and Annabeth follows in tow. Sally’s arms are wrapped around Annabeth as Percy and Paul pull their bags from the trunk, and she’s whispering small reassurances in her ear.

“Remember to call, Facetime, Iris Message– Anything, once you get to San Francisco. And then once you’re in New Rome. I want to see your dorms.” Sally says, looking between Percy and Annabeth. Percy rolls his eyes, but there’s a sad smile on his lips, “We will, Mom.”

“Frederick’s picking you guys up, right?” She asks Annabeth, who nods, “Yeah, don’t worry. He has the flight itinerary and everything.” Sally nods, and she pulls Annabeth into one last hug before turning to Percy. There’s shameless tears in her eyes as her arms go around Percy. Annabeth gives Paul a quick hug, too, and thanks him for everything, to which he waves her off. Annabeth gives the two of them a moment as she grabs a cart for their bags, and when he and Annabeth are walking into the airport, she doesn’t tease him for the tears falling from his eyes. Instead, as they wait in the check-in line, she gives him a hug and she can feel his muscles relaxing against her.

Percy’s hands are shaking as they settle into their seats (Annabeth takes the window seat and Percy’s right by the aisle– making it easier for him to breathe) and Annabeth feels a wave of pity pass through her as his hand tightens in hers. “Hey,” she whispers, leaning towards him, “We’re gonna be okay.”

He gives her a barely there smile, and in an attempt to distract him, she pulls out the headphone splitter jack and plugs it into the screen in front of him. She sets up headphones for the both of them and scrolls through for a moment, before shooting Percy a smile and pressing play on _Lilo & Stitch_. He rolls his eyes, but there’s a grateful smile on his lips. 

He’s squeezing her hand till they’re well into the air and the seatbelt light is off and she’s curled up into him, buried in one of his hoodies and the flimsy airplane blanket they are sharing. His hand is playing with hers as they half-watch the movie on the small screen. 

“Wow, it just hit me. We _really_ are going to college.” Percy pauses, and Annabeth gives him a sarcastic smile, “I hope so. Otherwise why are we on this flight?”

He shoots her a slight glare, “No– I mean, we’re actually on our way. Like, no crazy prophecy, no random monster absolutely terrorizing us, no Gods coming for us–.”

“Please don’t say that as we’re in the air.”

“I was prophesied to die at sixteen, Annabeth. Not only did I survive that, we survived the Titan war, and now we’re going to college.” He’s not looking at her face, and instead is pressing their palms together and staring intensely at the difference in their hand sizes, “I just– I didn’t expect to ever _graduate_ , you know? Or get into college.”

Annabeth kisses him, “I’m proud of you.”

He grins, “I love you.”

She rests her head on his shoulder and gives his hand a squeeze, and that’s enough for him. Percy falls asleep just as the credits roll in for the movie, and Annabeth lifts the armrest between their seats and buries her head into his chest, closing her eyes. Although they’re in Zeus’s domain and she should be afraid for nightmares, none of them come. 

  
  
  


By the time they land in San Francisco, they’re a mix of exhausted and nervous and Annabeth’s dad and stepmother greet them in the main area of the airport. Annabeth’s pulled into a hug by her dad as they make their way to the car. 

“How was the flight?” Mrs. Chase asks as they’re loading the bags into the car, and both Percy and Annabeth shrug. “It wasn’t that bad,” she responds, “Just tiring.”

They pull into a Thai restaurant and pick up an order to-go and then they’re pulling into Annabeth’s house’s driveway. Their dorm check-in isn’t till tomorrow morning and then their semester starts next week, so they’re spending the night. 

Annabeth helps with cleaning up post-dinner while Percy’s dragged away to play video games with her half-brothers, and there’s comfortable silence in the air as Mrs. Chase keeps up a light, airy conversation that Annabeth’s grateful for. After a week of nonstop ‘Are you excited?’ talks, she’s more than happy to talk about how much different New York’s weather is to San Francisco. 

Percy’s set up in the guest room across the hall from Annabeth, and within 30 minutes of everyone saying good night, she texts Percy and asks him to come to her room. A minute later, she hears her bedroom door open and Percy walks in, clad in an old Camp Half-Blood shirt and blue plaid pajama pants. Annabeth almost laughs, considering the fact that she’s in an old camp tank top and fleece pants, but just smiles at him instead. The only light in her room comes from the wall of fairy lights and Percy climbs into bed beside her, his arms going around her waist as she’s pulled into his chest. 

“You okay?” He whispers, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder, and she shrugs, lowering her hands so they intertwine with his. Her attention is fixated on the wall, “It’s just weird.”

“Being here? Or the changes?”

“Both?” She responds, her voice half-confused. “I just– I’ve lived far away from this house for so long and now I’m only going to be 30 minutes away. I don’t have excuses now.” 

“Maybe that’s not a bad thing.” His voice is gentle, “I mean, I doubt they’re gonna ask you to move in or anything and I know for a fact that we’re going to be spending most of our vacations at Camp Half-Blood, but I think a few dinners, or something, won’t hurt. And you know, I’m here. I’ll be with you through it all.”

She’s silent, but she is taking in everything Percy’s saying. Eventually, she leans up and kisses his jaw. “Thank you.”

He shoots her a smile, “I didn’t even do anything.”

Annabeth just shakes her head, and they fall into a comfortable silence again. “I should go before I accidentally fall asleep. I can’t make that impression.”

“Just think…” She whispers, giving his hand a small squeeze, “Starting tomorrow you won’t have to sneak out. Or in, for that matter.”

He’s grinning, and even in the dark Annabeth can see the way his eyes are shining, “And I can’t wait for that.” He gives her a quick kiss goodnight before leaving her room, and Annabeth stays curled up as if he’s still around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twitter, ditesdaughter, and tumblr, percasbeths, for more!


	3. Chapter 2, Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u soph for beta-ing and thank u percy brain infection for the love hehe !!!! thank u all for reading

**PERCY**

New Rome was just as stunning as Percy remembered it to be and Percy promised Annabeth that as soon as they settled and unpacked, he wanted to show her around in his own way. Even though he’d only been there for a few weeks last time, he still had certain spots that he grew to love and couldn’t wait to show her.

When Percy got to his dorm, his roommate, who’s shorter than Percy with rich, brown skin and a head of curly, black hair, had already arrived and claimed the left half of the room. He’s setting up his bed sheets when Percy walks in, and when they meet eyes, he lights up. “You’re Percy Jackson.”

Percy can feel the tips of his ears burning as he rolls his suitcase in and drops his duffel bag to the ground. “Uh, yeah. Hi.”

“Dude, you’re a _legend_!” His roommate’s voice holds nothing but awe, which only makes Percy blush further. He holds out his hand, “I’m Liam.”

Percy’s eyes zero in on the SPQR tattoo on his skin, four lines along his forearm along with what looks like a bow and arrow, and he takes his hand and shakes it. “Child of Apollo?”

Liam nods, “Yeah. I hope you don’t mind that I already claimed a side– I only got here an hour ago and I don’t mind switching.”

Percy shrugs, picking up his duffel and walking over to the bed on the right side of the room and dropping it on the mattress, “Nah, it’s cool.”

Percy unpacks as they get to know each other, and when Annabeth shows up so the two of them can grab lunch, Liam’s laying on his bed and shoots Percy a grin, “Do we need to establish the sock-on-doorknob rule?”

Percy throws a hoodie at him as he erupts into a fit of laughter, and Annabeth’s cheeks are red as she introduces herself. Liam’s grinning, “So you’re Annabeth. My best friend, Em– they’re obsessed with what you did with Olympus. You guys are kind of famous.”

Annabeth’s glowing as she thanks him, and before Annabeth can start spewing about architecture, Percy grabs her hand and drags her out of the dorm. He intertwines their fingers, “So, how are you feeling?”

She shrugs as they go down the stairs, “It’s pretty here, and my roommate, her name’s Clara, is sweet.”

“Is she going to hate me for sneaking in sometimes?” 

Annabeth gives him a small shove, “She already said that if you want to spend the night, she’ll go to her girlfriend.”

Percy hums, and lifts his hand from hers so he can wrap it around her shoulder, pulling him against her, “She’s gonna get bored of her girlfriend, then.”

Annabeth laughs, and Percy presses a kiss to the side of her head and they exit the dorm building, “Are you ready for the official tour of New Rome?”

“I kinda got one already.” 

“No, this one’s different, because this–” He lets her go to stand in front of her, walking backwards as he grabs both her hands, “Is the Percy Jackson personal tour. I may have only been here for a little but I did mentally mark all the places I wanted to show you– and now I can.”

Annabeth’s cheeks are flushed and she stops walking, pulling Percy to a stop as well. She gives him a small tug and he complies, taking a step towards her. Her eyes are shining and under the bright New Rome sun, she looks so beautiful Percy’s breath catches in his throat.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” He says softly, before he can stop himself, and there’s a surge of happiness that goes through him at the sight of Annabeth’s blush. She rolls her eyes, “You’re cheesy.”

He leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, “Only for you.”

She kisses him once again, letting go of his hands to wrap around his neck. Percy’s hands easily find her waist, and he pulls her against him. When they first started dating, she would shy away from any public affection, settling only for hand holds or, just for Percy, kisses on the cheek. Percy was the opposite. He absolutely loved PDA, he loved being able to indirectly tell the world how much he loved Annabeth. Eventually, though, he grew on her, and now she never hesitated to kiss him in public. 

He pulls away first, and he gives her a bright smile, “Come on, Wise Girl, let’s go.” 

He takes her hand and guides her to the Mess Hall, first, since it was well past lunch and they hadn’t eaten since breakfast. They don’t stay, though, and instead Percy grabs a picnic basket and they head out. She gives his hand a small squeeze, “You’re being romantic today.”

He narrows his gaze, “Are you saying I’ve not been romantic before?”

“Well…” She trails off, and Percy gives her a small hit with the basket, causing her to laugh as she jumps away from him, “I’m kidding!”

He lets out a small “hmph”, and Annabeth stands on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, “Percy, you’re the most romantic boyfriend in the world.”

He turns to face her, “You’re such a smart ass.”

“But you love me.” 

He gives her a small kiss, “I do, yeah.” 

She loops her arms around his free one, and as they walk through the city he points out miscellaneous spots that he thinks Annabeth would enjoy. Before they even came here– back when they would spend long nights laying on the roof of his apartment in New York or when it’d be 3 in the morning and they’re cuddling in Percy’s bunk at camp, he told her all about the spots that stuck out in his mind in New Rome. Back then, they felt more like pipe dreams than an actual possibility, considering their track history of bad summers, but now that they were actually there there was something surreal to it. 

They reach the Garden of Bacchus, and Percy guides her through a line of grape vines till they reach a patch of empty grass and the two of them sit down. 

“This place is so pretty.” Annabeth says as Percy’s pulling out two cans of Coke from the basket, and he grins, “Yeah– If only Mr. D could see this. Bet he’d love it.”

She laughs, taking the wrapped sub from Percy’s hands. They’re laying on a blanket Percy had draped on the floor and when they’re done eating, Annabeth’s laying down while Percy’s sitting up and leaning on his elbow, his face hovering above her own. 

Her hair is fanned out behind her head in a halo, and when her eyes meet Percy’s, they’re bright and sparkling. The sun’s caused freckles to dust the bridge of her nose and there’s a rosy tint to her cheeks that makes Percy’s heart lurch. He leans down and presses a kiss to her cheek, “I’m really happy we’re here.”

She raises her hand and entangles it in his hair, curling a strand around her finger, and smiles, “The semester hasn’t started, you won’t be saying that in a week.”

He rolls his eyes, but he’s still smiling, “You’ll help me with my homework, I’ll be fine.”

She tugs a lock of his hair, “Percy!”

He laughs, then presses a kiss to her jaw, “I’m only half joking.” 

Despite the fact that his face is buried in her neck and he can’t see hers, he knows she’s smiling, “Yeah, sure. I’m not writing your papers.”

“Do you have that little faith in me?” He frowns against her skin, and Annabeth lets out a puff of air, using the hand that’s in his hair to tug his face away from her neck so she can meet his eyes, “Were you going to ask me to write papers for you?”

He rolls his eyes, “Of course not. Proofread? Hell yeah. Maybe even help with a paragraph or two, but come on. Cut me some credit, did I _ever_ ask you to write my papers in high school?”

“Yes.” 

Percy groans, collapsing onto the ground beside her putting his arm over his eyes, “You ask one time and suddenly your entire reputation is being a plagiarizer. I see how it is, Chase.”

“We’re pulling out the last names now, _Jackson_?” She teases, and he feels her weight shift, so she’s laying on top of him, her arms against his chest. His heart’s pounding from the proximity, as if they’re 15 again and she just kissed him for the first time, and he knows she can feel it through the material of his shirt. 

He removes his arm from his face, and Annabeth’s looking down at him, her face hovering above his and she’s smiling, “Your heart’s pounding.”

“Yeah, well, you do that to me.” 

It's such a quick response, almost instinctive, and Percy says it so easily. Annabeth’s eyes soften, and she leans down, kissing him. His hand goes to cup her cheek, and when they part, he raises it so he can brush a strand of hair off her face. “You’re beautiful.”

She lets out a small noise, letting her face fall so she can bury it in his neck, “Stop that.”

“Complimenting you?” He laughs, and she nods against him. He kisses her hair, “ _Never_. Now, come on, I want to show you some other places.”

She sits up and Percy follows in tow, packing up all their things into the basket before leaving the garden. Percy’s hand is intertwined with hers as he pulls her along, showing her the plaza and various shops in New Rome. It was more farmer’s market-esque than an actual line of stores, but it supplied enough that if you were in a hurry, you didn’t have to leave the border. As he expected, she stops at the small bookstore, looking in awe at the selection of classic Roman books and the more modern books.

“Annabeth, we can’t spend all day here.” Percy whines, as Annabeth picks up another book and skims through it. She has a certain glowy-ness to her, one that always comes when she’s talking animatedly, and shows Percy a page. “This one is about Roman architecture, look– Oh my Gods, this is so _cool_! I mean– It’s in Latin, so it would take me a while to read it, but I kind of want to try– Hey, _Percy_!” 

Percy’s pulling the book from her grasp, closing it and putting it back on the shelf as he shoots her a somewhat guilty smile, “I promise, I’ll come back and I’ll get you the book, okay?” 

She’s pouting, and for a second Percy’s ready to throw away everything so she can spend the rest of the day looking at the books. Instead, though, he just intertwines their fingers and gives her a small tug, “Come on.”

She lets out a huff but follows, and Percy guides her towards the campus of the university. “Percy, we already took a tour of campus–.”

“You haven’t been inside the library yet.” He responds instantly, cutting off her complaint, “I know we took a tour but your eyes lit up at the library but we weren’t allowed to go in so I want you to actually see the inside, okay?”

She softens, and as they’re walking, she squeezes his hand, “Thank you.”

He shoots her a smile, then guides her towards the library. He knows the second they enter, Annabeth will become a little mess but he also loves seeing that side of her, so he really can’t complain. He holds the door open as Annabeth enters, and he can practically see the excitement radiating off her, her gray eyes wide and bright as she takes in the room. 

The library is huge, with a dome glass roof in the main area, filled with tables for studying. The In between the shelves are couches, and Annabeth’s voice comes out filled with awe, “Oh my Gods, Percy– They have scrolls! Like, _actual_ scrolls! And look, they have books in Latin, Greek, and English–!”

She’s grabbing onto his arm and tugging on it like an absolute child, and Percy’s chest erupts with butterflies as she attempts to keep her excitement level, dragging him throughout the various sections. He watches her take photos of a few books, sending them to Malcolm and all he can do is watch, the smile never leaving his lips. He’s never been the bookworm type and the hype behind it all never stuck with him, but of course, he just _has_ to fall in love with the _biggest_ bookworm in the world, so by the time they leave the library, the sun is setting and they go grab dinner at the Mess Hall.

They’re in Annabeth’s dorm much later, laying on her bed as Netflix plays on Annabeth’s laptop in front of them. Annabeth’s head is resting on his shoulder and they’re sharing a huge bag of gummy bears, and he’s linking and unlinking their fingers together. “So, what do you think of New Rome?”

His voice comes out low, and there’s an edge of nervousness to the question. Back when they were on the Argo II, after first being reunited, she’d done a bad job at hiding her resentment for the city, and the camp in general. He knew over time it faded, but a small part of him believed Annabeth only agreed to come here because Percy wanted to– and that thought was enough for him to make him anxious.

“I really like it,” she responds easily, pressing their palms together, “I honestly wanted to hate it– I mean, I was so mad. This camp, they had you, while I was just trying so hard to find you, but everyone is so nice and I mean, it's _so_ beautiful.” 

She’s whispering, and she shifts her attention from their hands and to his face, and she has a small smile on her lips that causes Percy to grin, “Plus, you’re here, so it’s kinda great.”

He kisses her, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

  
  
  


Studying in California meant Percy always had access to the beaches and he _hoped_ that meant nonstop visits, but he was almost six weeks into the semester and he only managed to visit the beach twice. It wasn’t like it was a choice, but he was already swamped with assignments and when he wasn’t in class, or doing homework, he was with Annabeth or even Frank and Hazel.

He had the pool, though, and most days, when he’s had it with his homework or when he just needs silence, he goes and spends hours there. He was probably the only person who used it as late as he did, and although it was probably against the rules, Frank and Hazel gave him a pass. After all, he was a son of Poseidon. He _needed_ access to his domain. 

Today, though, was pretty bad by Percy’s standards and he needed an escape or else he knew his temper would come out in worse ways. For starters, he overslept and missed the first twenty minutes of his morning lecture, which led to him being absolutely _lost_ when his professor decided to call a pop quiz on the material they took that day (Suffice to say, he bombed). His lab for the day also sucked, in his personal opinion, and he wanted to argue that he was unfairly graded but something in his professor’s eye made him back away and accept defeat. He also hadn’t seen Annabeth for a few days, and while they did text and even Facetime, he _missed_ her. The icing on top of the cake was that he had a paper due at midnight that he decided to put off as well, and now it was nearing 8 and he was still at the pool, swimming aimless laps and diving under for peace and quiet. He knows he should get out of the pool and go write his paper, but for everytime that thought crosses his mind, he dives under once again.

He was underwater when Annabeth walked into the pool room, unaware of the fact that she was calling his name for a solid five minutes. He noticed her when he saw two feet dangling in the water, and he swam to where she was, poking his head out. 

“Hey stranger.” She says softly, extending out her hand to run it through his wet locks, “I haven’t seen you in a minute.”

He gives her a guilty smile, grabbing her free hand and holding onto it, “I’m sorry– I just needed a breather. And, you know, been busy.”

She nods in understanding, tilting her head to the side, “Busy enough to not give your girlfriend a kiss?”

He rolls his eyes, but props his hands up on either side of her to lift himself out of the pool, high enough to give her a kiss. When they part, she’s staring into his eyes with an intensity he’s grown all-too familiar with, and her voice is a whisper, “I miss you. Which is weird, because I saw you like, three days ago, but you weren’t _really_ there, and we Facetimed this morning but it’s just– it’s not the same.” 

He tries to give her a smile, but it's more of a grimace and the way she’s speaking makes guilt bubble in his chest. He’s the entire reason she came to New Rome in the first place, yet here he was, distancing himself. “I’m sorry, Annabeth, I really am. I miss you too, you have _no_ idea, but it’s just–.”

He lets out a sigh of frustration and lifts himself fully out of the pool, sitting down beside Annabeth. She hands him a towel, “It’s a lot, right?”

He scrubs his face dry, nodding, “Yeah, I mean– I knew I wasn’t _that_ good at science or math and I knew being an Oceanography major was gonna be rough but I really underestimated it in my head.” His voice is shaky, and Percy lets out a sigh, “And you’re _so_ smart. You’re the Architect of Olympus, and yet you’re dating me, and I’m struggling with my first semester freshman year.”

There’s a small silence in the air, and Percy’s grateful Annabeth doesn’t say anything, because there’s still more on the tip of his tongue, “Sometimes,” His voice is weak, “Sometimes I just think you deserve someone smarter and better at all this stuff. Someone who’s better than _me_.” 

Annabeth’s staring into the water, kicking her feet and without looking, she reaches over and grabs his hand, “You’re _real_ stupid, you know that?”

“Did you not hear a word I just said about being–?”

“I could care less about grades, or about the fact that you’re struggling with your classes, or any of that garbage– I care about you, Percy.” She cuts him off with a fierce edge to her words, her sharp eyes meeting his. Her eyes are a stormy gray and narrowed slightly, an intense glint to them that Percy only sees every once in a while. “You’re struggling with your lectures? So am I. It's _college–_ We’re all new to it and trying to figure it out, so it only makes sense for us to fumble the ball a little. You’re not a failure or any less of a person for not being smart with school, you’re so much more than just that and I’m _in love with you_ regardless of it.”

She pauses, and her hand goes from his to cup his jaw, “You’re my _home_ , remember?”

He kisses her, his fingers reaching up to tangle into her ponytail to pull her further, and she’s kissing back with all she’s got. He’s pouring everything he wants to say into this kiss and he only hopes she can understand. When they pull away, they’re breathless and panting and Percy can almost hear his heart pounding in his chest. 

“I love you.” He whispers, resting his forehead against hers, and she has a gentle smile on her face, “I love you, too.” 

They stay like that for a moment, till Annabeth pulls away and stands up and slides her flip flops back on, “Come on, Seaweed Brain. Let’s go write your paper.”

“Who told you about that?” He whines, but complies to her words and stands up. She rolls her eyes, and gives him a short kiss, “I went by your dorm before coming here and your planner was left wide open.”

“Do I get brownie points for actually using the planner?” 

“Just get dressed, Seaweed Brain.”

He quickly pulls his shirt on and slings his backpack onto his shoulder as she stands by the door of the pool. Her hand’s in his as they head to his dorm, and thankfully, Liam’s still out for the night. Annabeth settles onto his bed as he quickly changes into a pair of sweats and a hoodie before sitting beside her. She’s already pulled out his laptop and all the material he needs to write the essay, sitting back against the wall with her phone in her hands.

“Do I have to start now?” He asks, pushing aside his laptop and putting his head in her lap, and she laughs and pats his cheek, “Yes, you baby.”

“Can we at least do a prize system or something? I need motivation.” He whines, and there’s a small pout to his lips. In his defense, sitting with his head in his girlfriend’s lap as she plays with his hair was _so much_ more appealing than writing a paper on the phylogeny of sea turtles. 

Annabeth hums, curling a strand of his damp hair in her fingertip, “For each page you write, you get one kiss. And I’ll go buy you some gummy bears.”

He sits up, “Deal. Wait– did you eat dinner yet?”

“No,” she admits, “When I went to the pool to look for you, I was gonna grab food but I kind of forgot. We can just order pizza from the Mess Hall, or something.”

He grabs his phone from the table beside his bed, and shoots Frank a text asking him if he can drop off some food to Percy’s dorm. He knew it was a little much to ask that from a friend, but within seconds Frank’s asking what his go-to pizza order is Percy’s never been more grateful for him. “Okay, Frank’s dropping off pizza.”

“You can’t use your friend to deliver food, Percy.”

“He said he didn’t mind!” Percy defends, then picks up his laptop and the packet that he had pushed off the bed while attempting to sit down, “Plus, if I get up and leave now, I would never finish this paper.”

Annabeth rolls her eyes, but buries herself into Percy’s pillows, pulling out her phone once again, “Just start your paper.”

Percy manages to submit the paper at 11:42 P.M on the dot, closing his laptop as gently as possible and setting it down. Somewhere around his sixth page, Annabeth stole a hoodie of his and curled onto his bed and fell asleep, wanting to stay as motivation for him but also exhausted because she’d had a morning lecture, and while he was working on the very last page, Liam came in and immediately crashed as well, waving off Percy’s apology for not texting him about Annabeth spending the night.

He carefully removed all his papers from off the bed and placed them on his desk before climbing back in, tugging his blanket over both him and Annabeth. He wraps his arm around her and pulls her to him, and he feels her shift. 

“Did you finish the paper?” Her voice is a sleepy, low, mumble that sends a jolt through Percy, and she turns to face him. He smiles, pushing a loose hair out of her face. “Yeah, I did.”

She hums, and buries her head into his chest. “I’m proud of you.”

She’s incoherently asleep, but Percy feels a small flurry of butterflies in his chest at her words, and his arms tighten around her. He kisses her hair, “Good night, Annabeth.”

Although he didn’t get his motivation kisses throughout the entire process, and she never actually left the dorm to get him gummy bears, she was curled up into him in his hoodie that practically engulfed her, and that was enough for him to fall asleep smiling. 

  
  
  


When Annabeth calls Percy at two A.M in tears, he practically jumps out of his bed and he’s out his door in minutes, meeting her atop the university’s bell tower. He’s in an old camp shirt and fleece pajama pants, but he doesn’t quite care. Annabeth’s already there by the time he climbs up, and she’s in one of his hoodies from high school and loose shorts that are barely visible from underneath the hem of the hoodie and her eyes are bloodshot, and when he sees her, his heart clenches in his chest.

He immediately wraps his arms around her and she’s crying into his shoulder, and Percy doesn’t pester her to talk to him for a moment, instead opting to just hold her as she cries. Her hands are loosely balling his shirt in her hands and one of his arms is holding her waist, pulling her to him, while the other rubs her back softly. He repeats the words, “I’m here, you’re okay, we’re okay.” into her ear gently until her tears subside, and they curl onto the ground of the tower, their bodies entangled with each other. 

“This is so stupid,” she sniffs, lifting her hand, which is completely covered to her fingertips by the sleeves of his hoodie, to wipe at tears, “I’m literally crying because of stupid reasons.”

“Nothing’s stupid if it makes you upset.” Percy responds easily, and Annabeth shoots him a watery, grateful look, before focusing her attention back onto her hands. She’s wringing the fabric of the hoodie between her fingers, a stress habit she never quite got rid of, along with tugging on the ends of her hair. Percy has her tells memorized, and he knows she secretly has his tells memorized, too. 

“I just–.” She pauses, sniffling, “I miss New York. I miss it _so_ much. It’s kind of stupid that I miss it, because I only really lived in the city for like, two years, and the rest of it was spent at camp, but _Gods_ , do I miss it. And I miss camp. I mean, Camp Jupiter is beautiful, but it doesn’t have the same energy and I miss the strawberry fields and cabin 3 and the big bonfires and–.”

She breaks off, her voice cracking, and Percy’s arms are around her in seconds, pulling her to him once again. She buries her head in his shoulder, “I’m also pulling like, two B’s and a C and I feel like an absolute failure. What kind of daughter of _Athena_ can’t get A’s?”

“Annabeth, you’re the smartest person I know.” He whispers first, starting there, “You’ll figure that out within a week. I bet you anything if you slapped an extra credit paper at the professors, or even just bugged them at their offices, they’d bump your grades, because you’re that smart and they know it. And if they don’t know it yet, you’ll _make them_ know it.”

She lets out a weak chuckle into his shoulder, and he continues, spinning one of her curls between his fingertips, “And I miss New York too. You know I cried on Facetime with my mom today? Yeah, Estelle started babbling while Paul was feeding her dinner and I just started crying– Hard enough that my mom had to go to another room, mind you. New York,” He lets out a small sigh, his gaze fixated on the stars, “New York has been our home, our safe haven, for _so_ long now, that it’s normal for us to miss it. I mean, I lived my whole life in that city, and you practically grew up there, too. If we didn’t miss it once in a while, we wouldn’t be human.”

He presses a kiss to her forehead, “You’re gonna be okay– _we’re_ gonna be okay. We just need time. And hey, winter break is in, like, three weeks. We’ll be back soon.”

He stops feeling new tears hit his shirt and eventually, Annabeth lifts her head from his shoulder, sniffling, “I’m sorry for dragging you out of bed at two in the morning for this.”

He shakes his head, his eyes gazing into hers as reaches forward and wipes at a stray tear before letting his hand linger on her cheek, “Annabeth, I don’t care if its four in the morning and I have an 8 am final, or if its the middle of the day and the world is falling apart– If there’s something wrong, I want to be there. I _will_ be there, okay?”

She nods, and he leans forward, pressing a short kiss to her lips. The kiss is salty, and Annabeth’s face is still covered in tears, but he doesn’t care. All that matters to him is that she’s okay, and Annabeth’s always been a fan of physical comfort.

“I love you.” He says, once they pull away, and Annabeth smiles, “I love you, too. Thank you.”

He stands up, extending his hand to help her up as well, “I’ll walk you back to your dorm, come on. I know for a fact you have a 10 A.M lecture tomorrow and you need sleep.”

She takes his hand and she’s silent for a moment, before meeting his eyes, “Can you spend the night? Clara’s with her girlfriend and I don’t– I don’t want to be alone.”

He pulls her towards her as they walk to the stairs, and he presses a quick kiss to the side of her head, “Anything for you, Wise Girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: ditesdaughter  
> tumblr: percabeths


	4. Chapter 3, Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1k hits thank u i am baby

**ANNABETH**

Returning to New Rome after almost two months of being in New York meant Annabeth was definitely _not_ ready for the spring sun. It was only February, and Februarys in New York were usually cold, yet here she was, clad in a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a tank top, and she was almost sweating. 

They were at a barbeque event on campus for the start of the spring semester, and she was sitting with her back against a tree, Percy’s head in her lap. Hazel and Frank were with the two of them, and she’s watching Percy talk animatedly with Frank as he tells them about new buildings Frank’s been pitching for them to build.

Annabeth’s fingers are running through Percy’s hair absentmindedly, and when she meets Hazel’s eyes, there’s a soft, knowing expression there and Annabeth can’t help but blush. 

“So,” Hazel asks, clapping her hands together lightly, cutting off Frank’s long-winded rant, “Are you guys excited for this semester?”

Annabeth shrugs, “I guess? I mean, I’m taking so many math courses this semester and I’m just not excited for that.”

Percy lets out a small groan, “Please don’t remind me that I’m taking Calc I this semester. I’m gonna die.”

“Yes, because math is gonna be what kills you, not the monsters or quests.” Annabeth retorts, and she hears Frank snicker, “She’s not wrong.”

“Math is worse than any monster and I stand by that.” Percy responds, and Hazel nods once, “I agree.”

“Hazel, you’re a child. I take that agreement with a grain of salt.”

She responds with a small kick to his calf, and Annabeth laughs as Percy lets out a yelp of pain, his eyes narrowing at Hazel, who’s smiling innocently. “This _child_ is Praetor, Percy, remember that.”

Annabeth gives Hazel a high five from above Percy’s head, and he’s glaring at her with a small pout, “I hate this dynamic. Kill it. Frank, help me.”

“You’re on your own.” Is Frank’s response, and Annabeth grins as Percy lets out a huff as he turns his head, burying it against her abdomen. She leans down, her stomach erupting in butterflies as she feels his breath against the thin fabric of her top, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Don’t be a baby.”

“I have every right to be a baby. You’d think after helping save the world _twice_ I could get exempted from math.” His voice is muffled against her shirt, and she laughs, giving his hair a small tug, “I’ll help you with your math, now stop whining.”

Hazel watches with an amused expression, and when Frank and Percy head to the Mess Hall to grab more food, Hazel scoots closer to Annabeth, “You two work so well together.”

Annabeth’s cheeks are red, her gaze fixated on Percy’s retreating figure. “Six years of friendship does that.” 

“Even when we were on Argo II– or when we were on the quest together, he always talked about you, you know?” Hazel’s voice is gentle, her eyes holding nothing but sincerity as they gaze into Annabeth’s, “I don’t believe in people having other halves– I don’t think you need another person to be whole, but you two _are_ parts of each other.”

Annabeth can feel her heart pound in her chest and she knows she’s blushing like crazy, “Thank you.”

Hazel gives her a small poke, a grin on her lips, “I never took you as the blushing type.” 

Annabeth rolls her eyes, and returns the poke, “I’m not– It’s just–.”

“Percy.” 

Hazel has an almost giddy smile on her lips at the way Annabeth nods, “Yeah.”

“That’s cute.” She coos, and Annabeth gives her a nudge and rolls her eyes, and Hazel’s laughing, “It’s sweet how well you know each other, like– you two function together and it’s just adorable.” 

“Are we that domesticated?” Annabeth laughs, and Hazel shakes her head, a bright smile on her lips, “No, no! It’s not a bad thing– Not by a longshot. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the way you two rely on each other, it's more like you two are an unbeatable unit.”

Annabeth knows Hazel’s complimenting her, but the words _‘you two rely on each other_ ’ ring out in her ear and she can’t quite focus on anything else. She knew her and Percy always depended on each other, but that was mainly because they were going through a war and needed to survive, but outside of battle? She thought she and Percy were independent, not reliant. 

Annabeth didn’t realize her smile faded till Hazel’s hand reached out to hold her own, “Hey, wait– Annabeth, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No, no, you didn’t.” Annabeth says softly, meeting Hazel’s golden eyes, “I’m just– I was thinking.”

Hazel nods, and just as she opens her mouth to speak, Frank and Percy return with containers of food and drinks, and Percy falls onto the ground beside Annabeth, handing her a bottle of iced tea.

“What’d we miss?” He asks her, and Annabeth accepts the bottle from his hand, “Oh, nothing. Just about how Hazel prefers me to you.”

“Hey– wait!” Percy’s tone is incredulous as his gaze snaps between Hazel and Annabeth, and she can’t help but laugh. Hazel shrugs, and there’s a playful glint to her eyes, “Whoops.”

“At least I have Frank.” 

“Percy, I have some news for you–.”

Annabeth laughs as Percy lets out a low groan, and his head falls onto Annabeth’s shoulder, “Does _no one_ here like me?”

Annabeth feels her heart lurch in her chest, and she tilts her head so she can look at him, and gives him a small kiss on the cheek, “For what it’s worth, I love you.”

He gives her a small smile, one that causes all the preexisting negative thoughts to leave her head as he presses a quick kiss to her lips, “It’s worth everything.”

Gods, she loves him.

  
  
  
  


“Do you think we’re too dependent on each other?” 

It’s almost three weeks after the barbeque, and Annabeth should have dropped the topic, but they were sitting in one of the corners of the library studying, Annabeth sitting on the sofa and Percy on the floor in front of her. His head is basically resting in her lap as they go through Percy’s calculus homework, and she’s still not sure why the conversation struck now.

“Is this because I asked for help? I know this is like the third time I’ve asked and I’m sorry but–.”

“No, no–! That’s not why.” Annabeth cuts him off, and he furrows his brows and pauses for a moment, before putting his notebook onto the coffee table in front of him and turning, so he faces her. He’s still on the floor, so he cranes his neck so he can meet her gaze, “Then why?”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth sighs, and she’s playing with her hands in her lap, looking everywhere but his eyes. She’s nervous, and she can feel butterflies in her chest, and she lets out a huff, “It’s just– Percy, you fell into _Tartarus_ for me, and we just buried it. Like, you would have died for me and we never really talked about it and I just– Why did you do that?”

“Annabeth.” Percy’s voice is soft, and she sees his hands reach out to hold hers, “Annabeth, please look at me.”

She meets his gaze somewhat reluctantly, and his eyes are dark, “I fell into Tartarus because I _Iove_ you, okay? I didn’t do it because I need you, I did it because I don’t want to live without you, there is a difference.”

“How?” She doesn’t recognize her own voice, coming out so weak and defeated and so unlike her, and Percy squeezes her hands, “One implies we’re dependent, one implies a choice. I _choose_ to not live without you, Wise Girl. I could, but that would be an awful life and I don’t want it. So, I choose to live with you, every day, and won’t ever stop choosing that. If that makes me dependent, then I really don’t care, because I’d rather be labelled as clingy and dependent than be without _you_.”

When he finishes, his eyes are shining with so much love and admiration and Annabeth leans forward, pressing her lips to his. He sits up, pulling their hands apart so he can wrap his arms around her waist, and Annabeth feels a shiver travel down her body as his fingers graze a patch of skin on her lower back where her shirt has ridden up. Her arms wind around his neck and she deepens the kiss, momentarily forgetting they’re in a public library in the evening.

When their lips part, she’s panting and his forehead is pressed against hers, and she can feel his breath fanning her face. 

“I love you.” She says softly, and he gives her a wide smile and Annabeth wants to kiss the dimple on his cheek. Her heart’s pounding like crazy, and her hands go from their position around his neck to rest on his chest. His heart’s beating just as rapidly as hers, and she can’t help the smile that forms on her lips, and she gives him another small, quick kiss. 

He pulls away and rises onto the sofa. He lays down, his calculus homework abandoned on the table as he sighs, placing his head in Annabeth’s lap. It’s his favorite position, and Annabeth never says no, because he looks up at her with shining eyes and an adorable smile that makes her heart skip a beat and _how could she ever say no to that?_

  
  
  
  


They’re halfway through the semester and Annabeth’s in full zombie student mode. She’s seen Percy a total of twice in the span of two weeks and she’s barely had time to talk to people outside of class, and all in all she’s losing her mind. Percy promised they’d grab dinner tonight, and at the moment, that’s all that’s pushing her through the day. Given the New Rome University was private and small, their programs were intense and it was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. 

She’s at the library, looking for a choice book to work on a paper for one of her design labs. She has to pick a specific ancient Roman building and redesign and write about it, and the fact that most of these books are in Latin don’t help her already frustrating homework load. As she’s skimming through another row of books, she hears a familiar laugh that sends a flurry of butterflies to her stomach. Her fingers freeze as they’re pulling out a book while she peeks her head out from behind the bookshelf.

Percy’s at one of the study tables, sitting beside a girl Annabeth had never seen before. She’s talking animatedly and she flips her pinstraight, brown hair over her shoulder and Percy laughs. Annabeth feels her vision going red, and her heartbeat is echoing in her ears as her grip on the book tightens. 

It takes everything in her to not march over to the table, and she’s glaring daggers at the girl as she takes in a shallow breath. She would never admit it aloud, _especially_ not to Percy, but she’s the territorial type, and for as much as she believed in the notion that people didn’t belong to people, Percy was _hers_. And when the unnamed brunette grabs onto Percy’s bicep, everything in Annabeth screams and she has to storm out of the library before she does anything she regrets.

Once she’s outside, she attempts to level her breathing as she pulls out her phone, dialling Piper’s number without a second thought.

“Annabeth, if this is another call where I have to sit through you pitching your presentation to me, I told you I need an hour’s notice so I can get snacks.”

Piper’s voice rings out in her ear, and Annabeth rolls her eyes, “That’s not the only reason I call you, Pipes.”

Annabeth starts walking away from the library, back to her dorm. Although she hadn’t picked up a book to work on that project, she could still use Google and had other things to do– but she couldn’t stay in that library.

“Then, what’s up? Do you just miss me, because I was there last weekend and I think it’s your turn to make the drive.” Piper’s voice makes Annabeth smile, despite her previous anger, and she lets out a huff, “It’s stupid.”

“I called you two nights ago crying about how I lost an earring.” 

“Well, you’re an Aphrodite kid.”

“ _Hey_!” 

Annabeth laughs, before sobering up, “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m concerned, ‘Beth.”

“I saw Percy in the library.” Annabeth says, pausing at the door of her dorm building to pull out her keys, and Piper’s tone comes out confused, “Are you upset he’s going without you or–?”

“No, Piper–” Annabeth sighs, then locates her key and unlocks the door, stepping into the building before beginning the two-flight ascent to her room, “He was there with this girl I’ve never seen before and I just–.”

“You’re _jealous_!” Piper’s voice is high-pitched, giddy even, and Annabeth wants to hang up then and there. “I am not!”

“Annabeth, what did you do when you saw them?” 

She unlocks her dorm room and steps inside, tossing her bag onto her desk. Her roommate is still out for the day, and Annabeth’s grateful for the silence. “I shoved a book back onto the shelf and ran out.”

“Well, at least you didn’t pull out your sword.”

“She’s lucky it was in my dorm.” Annabeth grumbles, and Piper lets out a low gasp, “ _Annabeth_!”

“Her hand was around his bicep, Piper!” Annabeth’s voice comes out as a whine as she flops onto her bed, burying her head in her pillow as she lets out a muffled groan at the sound of Piper’s laugh.

“Gods, Annabeth, you’re the most irrationally jealous person I’ve met.” Piper says once her laughter subsides, and despite that the fact that she knows she can’t see her, Annabeth’s eyes narrow, “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Piper begins, and Annabeth can practically hear the smile in her voice, “Percy is the stupidest boy in the world. A girl– or guy, for that matter, could literally throw herself into his arms and he wouldn’t even notice because all he focuses on is you.” 

Annabeth’s heart clenches in her chest, and she can feel her anger fading, “Really?”

“Yes, Annabeth. Believe me when I say this, you have no reason to be jealous. I mean, even if she does try anything, you know Percy will shut it down. Or be oblivious, one of the two.”

Annabeth frowns, “She was still too close for comfort, Pipes.”

“Would you like me to drive over and bring my dagger? We can easily settle this on the field.” Piper’s tone is sarcastic, but the way Annabeth pauses before responding is enough for her to know Annabeth’s actually debating it, “ _Annabeth_!”

“She didn’t need to grab his bicep!”

“Oh my Gods, it’s his arm!” Piper sounds exasperated, and Annabeth hears her exhale a low breath, “I’m going to go before I actually lose my mind– Just talk to him, and keep your email open, I need you to proof-read my college admission essays.”

“New Rome is still number one, right?”

“You’ve been helping me study for that stupid Greek admission test, haven’t you?” She grumbles across the line, before sighing, “Yes, it is. Anyway, I need to go– I have a huge test tomorrow.”

They hang up, and Annabeth quickly changes into a pair of leggings and, despite the fact that she’s irrationally angry at Percy, puts on one of his old hoodies– a dark blue one with a small wave embroidered on the front that Annabeth immediately stole within days of Percy purchasing it.

She curls up onto her bed and buries herself in her homework, shamefully unaware of the amount of time that has passed. She doesn’t even notice the fact that her phone’s buzzing nonstop, and she doesn’t get off her bed till there’s a knock at her door.

Percy’s standing against her door frame, a bag of takeout dangling between his fingertips. When Annabeth notices, her mouth falls open, before giving him a guilty smile, “I completely worked through our dinner plans, didn’t I?”

Percy grins, entering her apartment and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, “You did, yeah. But I got us takeout, anyway– I knew you’d be studying.”

They sit down on the floor of her dorm and Percy’s pulling out small boxes of Chinese food, “I missed you, Wise Girl.”

She shoots him a small smile and leans over the takeout boxes to give him a small kiss, “I missed you, too.”

She sits back down, and as she’s ripping open a chopstick package, she decides to bite the bullet, “I saw you at the library today.”

“Really? Why didn’t you come by?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowed together, and Annabeth shrugs, picking at some sesame chicken, “You seemed occupied. You were with some girl and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

She attempts to make her voice come out as nonchalant and light as possible, but when she looks at Percy, his eyes are bright and there’s a wide smile on his lips, and his voice comes out as a awe-filled whisper, “You were jealous.”

“I was not!” She defends, which only makes Percy’s smile grow, and he puts down his chopsticks and slides across the floor till he’s sitting beside her, his knee brushing against hers. “You were _definitely_ jealous.”

He says that against her neck, and Annabeth lets out a small huff, and despite the fact that she should pull away and be angry, she tilts her head so he can continue peppering kisses across her skin, “She was too close for comfort.”

She feels his smile against her skin as he places a kiss to her collarbone, “I bombed my last lab report, and she’s in my lab and she got an A+. I needed the help.”

“Mm, don’t know why asking for help means she has to sit that close to you.” She doesn’t want her voice to come out that cold and angry, but it does, and Percy laughs, “I guess it's a good thing I started that study session saying I had to meet my girlfriend for dinner– only for her to not show up.”

She feels her cheeks flare up with shame, and when she’s silent, Percy pulls his face from her neck, “I was joking, you know.”

“I feel bad though.” She admits softly, a slight feeling of guilt building in her chest, “I mean– I was here getting irrationally angry and jealous because you were studying with some girl and missed dinner all while you were literally telling her about me and our dinner plans and–.”

“Hey, hey– it’s okay.” He cuts her off, but his voice is gentle and when his softened eyes meet hers, she can feel the anxiety in her chest diminishing, “You’re hard working and you have a lot going on, okay? I don’t blame you for missing dinner. I kinda expected it– you always go into hyper study mode and forget time. We’re here now, aren’t we?”

She nods, but she still has a pout on her face and her stomach’s still uneasy. Percy gives her a kiss on her cheek, “Stop pouting. It’s adorable and I kinda love it, but I’d rather see your smile.”

She responds by burying herself in his chest, and he lets out a small chuckle that vibrates through his body. 

“I don’t deserve you.” She mumbles against the fabric of his shirt, and he runs a hand through her messy, unkempt curls, “It’s the opposite, really.” 

They stay like that, her practically sitting on his lap, as they eat, reruns of _New Girl_ playing on her laptop screen. At some point, they throw everything away and curl onto the bed, and his arms are around her and he’s pressing kisses to her cheeks, her shoulder, her neck, her hair– and all she can think is that there is nowhere else she’d rather be. 

  
  
  
  


When Annabeth’s dad invites her and Percy to spend a weekend of spring break at their house, she shyly says yes and they make plans to have a beach barbeque on the first day. 

Annabeth’s watching Percy teach her half-brothers how to surf with an amused expression, helping her dad set up the grill. 

“So,” he asks, reaching into the cooler and pulling out two water bottles, handing Annabeth one, “how are you feeling about college?”

Annabeth shrugs, dropping onto the beach chair beside her, “It’s what I expected. I mean– the course load is insane and most days I barely have time to think, but I’m happy.”

“And how’s the camp? Do you like it?”

Annabeth nods, “Yeah, I do.” Despite all her initial hesitancy and dislike for the city, New Rome had grown to become her second home. Everything about it, from the college campus, to the Garden of Bacchus where Annabeth and Percy would have picnic dates, to the small shops she’d grown extremely grateful for, she loved, and she could safely say she was excited for the next three years there. “It’s so beautiful– and Berkeley is right there, too.”

“I’m just glad you’re enjoying yourself. If you ever need anything– you know where I am.” He reaches out and touches her arm, and she shoots him a grateful smile, “Thank you, Dad.”

He gets up and begins grilling, and Annabeth decides to take off her cover-up and join Percy and her half-brothers in the water. Percy’s sitting on his surfboard with both his feet dipped in the water on either side of the board, and when Annabeth swims towards him, he lifts her so she’s sitting in front of him, her back hitting his bare chest. 

He presses a kiss to the back of her neck, “Hey there.”

She turns her head so she can meet his smile, “Hi.”

The sun makes his freckles more prominent and the ocean around them only brings out the green of his eyes, and she wants to pull him underwater and kiss him endlessly. He seems to have the same idea, because he shoots her a small smirk, his finger moving to travel up and down her arm causing goosebumps to form on her skin. “How about we go underwater for a moment?”

Annabeth shakes her head slightly, and her hand moves to rest on his chest, “I don’t think my dad would appreciate us making out underwater, Seaweed Brain.”

He shrugs, “Pretty sure I already made my bad impression when I let you get attacked by monsters, so what’s making out gonna do?”

She laughs, giving his chest a small slap, “You’re not helping your case.”

He just laughs and wraps his arms around her, “Well, at least let’s watch your brothers absolutely wipe out.”

They watch for a moment before her half-brothers give up completely, and Percy grins as they admit defeat, “Hey, do you wanna see something that’s kind of cool?”

Annabeth watches from the surfboard as Percy takes them and shows them tricks underwater, the smile never leaving her lips. When they all resurface, her half-brothers are in absolute awe as they gush to Annabeth about how insanely awesome her boyfriend is, and when she meets Percy’s eyes, she’s filled with so much warmth that she doesn’t want this moment to change.

It’s much later when everyone heads inside for the day, and once everything’s packed up, Percy grabs onto Annabeth’s hand, “Can I stay out for a moment?”

She gazes between him and her dad and step-mom, before calling for the both of them, “We’ll be inside in a bit!”

With that, she and Percy walk back to the shore, and Percy sits down on the sand, allowing the waves to lap against his feet. Annabeth joins him, “You okay?”

“This year’s almost over.”

“I know.”

“And for every time I’ve had a bad day, or I’ve just felt terrible, you’ve been there.” Percy’s voice is so soft, barely audible from the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, but it’s loud enough that Annabeth’s heart flutters in her chest, “Do you know how glad I am to have you by my side?”

Annabeth rests her head on his shoulder, her gaze fixated on the ocean’s horizon, “I’m glad to have you by my side, too.”

“I barely do anything.” He responds easily, shyly, his fingers drawing patterns in the sand, and Annabeth wraps her arms around his bicep, squeezing gently, “That’s not true."

She lets out a small breath, “You’re the only person I can talk about class stuff with and you don’t get completely bored– I mean, you do, but you still try to listen. Even people in my _major_ don’t want to listen all the time– but you do. And when I’m crying and it’s really late at night, you’re the only person who I want with me, wrapped around me. You keep me grounded when everything seems like a mess.” 

Her voice is low and filled with nothing but love. She wasn’t saying anything Percy didn’t already know– this first year at college was something neither of them estimated to be as difficult as it was, but they’d managed to make it through. Granted, they did have a few weeks left, but at this point Annabeth knew they’d make it. And now that they were done with this first, gruelling year, they’d make it through the rest of their years okay. She gives him another squeeze, “Plus, you give the best kisses.”

“Aren’t I the only person you kiss?” His response is playful and he shoves her slightly, and Annabeth laughs, “I can still say you give good kisses, Seaweed Brain.”

She tilts her head slightly, and she can see the smile on his lips. He presses a kiss to her forehead, “You mean everything to me.”

Annabeth grins, burying the smile into his skin, “I love you.”

He kisses her forehead once again, “You’re my home, remember?”

She lifts her head and gives him a short kiss, “You’re my home, too.”

He’s staring back into the water again, and his voice seems distant as he speaks, “Is it weird that I just– I feel weird? Like, I _should_ be happy that we’re free and that we’re living a normal life, yet I feel like there’s something wrong. Like a prophecy, or a monster, or a weird twist of fate is gonna happen and everything’s gonna go bad.”

Annabeth shakes her head, “I’ve been feeling that, too. I mean, we’ve just always had something pop up and ruin our year– It’s normal for us to be feeling like this, especially since summer’s so soon. But Percy– There is nothing that’s gonna show up. We’re okay.” 

Percy’s silent for a moment, and Annabeth gives his bicep one more squeeze, which causes his attention to shift to her, and she has a small smile on her lips. Her entire body is buzzing with butterflies at the way Percy’s looking at her, and she gives him a small kiss, “We _are_ okay, Percy.”

“What if we’re not?” His voice has an edge of fear to it, and it sends a wave of sadness through Annabeth, but she just gives him another smile, “Then we’ll be okay with time. We have each other, right?”

“Yeah, we do.”

“Then we’ll get through anything. Together.”

With that, she stands up, kicking off her shorts once again. Percy raises an eyebrow, “What are we doing?”

She grins, pulling her shirt back off so she’s in just her swimsuit, “You said you wanted to make out underwater, right?”

Within seconds, Percy’s shirt is discarded onto the sand and he’s lifting Annabeth into his arms and into the water, and their laughs are echoing throughout the empty beach. 


	5. PART II — SOPHOMORE YEAR

**_PART II — SOPHOMORE YEAR_ **

“ _Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared.”_

\- The Mark of Athena

**SOUNDTRACK** :

still into you - paramore

if i could fly - one direction

you are in love - taylor swift

someone to stay - vancouver sleep clinic 

safe inside - james arthur

lucky - jason mraz, colbie calliat

homesick - dua lipa


	6. Chapter 4, Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.5K READS AAAHH THANK U

**PERCY**

“What would you do if I dropped out right now?” 

They’re four weeks into sophomore year, and Percy’s exhausted. He’s currently in Annabeth and Piper’s dorm, laying on her bed with his head in her lap. Her sketchbook is laying open on his chest and she’s working on a drawing for one of her classes, meanwhile Percy’s laptop is propped open in his lap as he does an untimed online quiz. Annabeth pauses her shading, and shifts her eyes to Percy’s. 

They were more a dark, stormy, gray today, and Percy knows that’s because she’s concentrated and he loves them. She pats his cheek, and there’s a playfulness to her smile that makes Percy giddy, “How will you provide for our family?”

He grins, grateful that she’s not scolding him, although he doubted she would anyway, “I’ll be your trophy husband– You know, arm candy to show off when your office has holiday parties, I’ll pick up the kids from school, cook, and clean– That stuff.”

She leans down and kisses him, “You can 100% drop out if you want to– but I’d much rather prefer you wait and give yourself at least a few more weeks. Regardless, you’ll be a great trophy husband.”

“I thought you had to be pretty to be a trophy husband.” Piper says from across the room. She’s laying on her bed with a textbook laid out in front of her and she’s playing with her hair. Percy picks up a pencil and throws it at her, causing her to snicker. 

He buries his face in Annabeth’s stomach, “When you said you’d be dorming with Piper, I thought that meant she’d not be annoying. And she’d leave so we could make out.”

“That’s uncalled for!” She pipes up from her bed, “I’m the roommate and best friend, you’re the boyfriend. I win.”

“You are _not_ Annabeth’s best friend.” Is all Percy responds with, and he feels Annabeth’s laugh against his cheek. Her fingers are in his hair and she tugs his face away from the fabric of her shirt, leaning down to kiss him again. 

“I literally can’t stand you.” Piper says to Percy, a disgusted expression on her face, and Percy responds by sticking his tongue out. 

“How mature.” Annabeth says, but there’s a smile on her lips and he can feel his heart buzzing in his chest. He grins, pressing a kiss to her cheek, “Only for you.”

The conversation shifts after that, and although he was only half-joking when he said he’d drop out, he was drained. Everything about his major demotivated him, and he would never admit it to Annabeth, but he was regretting ever choosing oceanography. Sure, he loved the sea and everything, but did he want to work with it for the _rest_ of his life? That was debatable.

He doesn’t realize he’s completely focused on his thoughts until Annabeth pokes his cheek, “You okay?”

She has a slight frown and Percy just nods, forcing a smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes, “Yeah, just– thinking about my test Friday.”

She doesn’t look convinced, but she drops it regardless, and Percy’s grateful she does. She pats his head, “Get up, I wanna cuddle.”

He complies with a small grin, sitting up so the two of them can lay down. His arms are around her and she’s holding his laptop, saving the test he was doing before switching to Netflix. As the episode she pulled up loads, she turns her head and places a kiss on his cheek placing her hands atop his, which are clasped at her stomach, “You’re gonna be okay.”

It’s so low that only he hears it and it sends a rush of absolute adoration through him. He kisses her forehead, “Of course I’ll be. I have you, don’t I?”

She responds by tangling their legs together and squeezing his hands, and that’s enough for him.

  
  
  
  


Percy shouldn’t be crying. He _should_ be focusing on the paper he’s writing on his laptop screen, but the brightness and his tears are making it hard to do anything. He’s dry heaving and his hair is unkempt from the amount of times he’s dragged his hands through it. Physically, he knows he looks like hell, and emotionally, he feels as though he’s been dragged through hell (again).

He feels so stupid. He’s fought monsters, escaped Tartarus, and yet the thing he’s struggling most with is _college_? He always knew he wasn’t the brightest student out there, but something about the fact that he’s practically suffocating in college kills him inside. He doesn’t want the stupid degree anymore, but he also knows giving up isn’t an option– he _can’t_ stop studying, he needs to prove that he can do it.

Between sniffles, he picks up his phone and dials his mom, but after it rings once he hangs up. It’s almost 3 in the morning, and he knows she has work and even though he’s hours ahead, he can’t wake her up. His finger hesitates over Annabeth’s name in his recent calls, and he lets out a low noise of frustration. His roommate is a heavy sleeper, and Percy knows he won’t wake up, but he still tries to stay as silent as possible.

He calls Annabeth without quite thinking it through, but before he can hang up, she’s already picked up. He expected that, though, because Annabeth’s always been a light sleeper. “Percy?”

“Go back to bed– I shouldn’t have called you.” He whispers, but it's hoarse and weak and he hears rustling on the other end. “No– what’s wrong?”

The second those words come out of her mouth, sleep filled, groggy, and in the lowest whisper it’s barely heard through the line, Percy feels a wave of tears come over him. He can’t speak, and his eyes are glued shut to prevent tears from falling. 

“Bell tower?” Annabeth speaks after a moment, and Percy lets out a small, shaky breath, “Yes, please.”

Ten minutes later, after pulling on a hoodie and sneakers, he’s on top of the bell tower. He’s there before Annabeth is, and the heels of his hands are digging into his eyes as he attempts to control his breathing, but all he wants is to scream and sob and he can’t stop shaking. 

Annabeth’s arms are around him as soon as she gets there, and once he smells her familiar scent around him, he’s breaking down into her shoulder and soaking her shirt. Her fingers are running through his hair and she’s pressing soft kisses on his forehead, and Percy’s never felt so small. 

When his tears subside, he pulls himself away from his shoulder, and his gaze is fixated on the sky. “I hate this so much. I’ve fought actual monsters, I’m upset over _this_?”

“What happened?”

He shook his head, and when he speaks, its hoarse and his throat feels scratchy, “Nothing, I just–” He pauses, and takes in a shaky breath, “I can’t do this anymore, Annabeth. And I know this is stupid and childish but I hate everything about college right now and I can’t do this– I don’t even know why I’m studying oceanography, it’s stupid.”

“Percy, you don’t mean that.” Annabeth’s hand reaches for his shoulder, “You’re just saying that cause it’s a bad semester, a few bad courses.”

“ _No_ , Annabeth!” His voice comes out much harsher than he intends it to, and when Annabeth jumps back he feels a wave of guilt pass through him and he swallows, “I’m sorry– shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that– It’s just…”

He lets out a small sigh, finally meeting Annabeth’s gaze, “You’ve known what you wanted to do with you future since you were 12, Annabeth– I’m 19 and I don’t know, but I know that this– this major and these classes, _aren’t_ what I want to do.”

“Percy– it’s okay.”

“It’s really not– I’m failing most of my classes and we’re only in midterms week and I can’t stand any of the courses I’m even taking and I’m falling behind and you don’t deserve a boyfriend who’s literally failing his major because he realized how much he hates it.”

“Oh my _Gods_ , you think I care about you hating your major?” Annabeth reaches out and cups his face in her hands, and he can feel his heart hammering in his chest and his body’s still shaking, but for a second when she’s staring into his eyes, everything’s okay. “Percy, Seaweed Brain, my _Percy_ , all I care about is _you_. You could change your major, drop out, take a gap semester– you could do anything and I would be right there, because all I care about is _you_ and your happiness and seeing you smile. Gods– The fact that you think I don’t deserve you because of school, Percy– I _love_ you.”

She kisses him, and somehow, between shaky hands and his entire body melting at her words, he pulls her into his lap. He’s entangling his fingers in her hair and her hands are tight around his jaw and all he can feel is her and her small “ _I love you_ ”s are ringing in his ear and all he can do is pull her closer and refuse to let her go. Their kiss is urgent, needy, and Annabeth tastes like mint and he can feel his anxiety ebbing away as her hands press against his chest. 

When they part, he’s panting and she gives him another smaller, lighter kiss. “You can change your major, okay? You have time.”

“I just–” He sighs, and he’s silent for a moment. Annabeth’s thumb runs over his jaw, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to fall behind. I want to graduate with you. Not because I want to walk with you, that’s just an added bonus, but because graduating a year or semester late means all the people who thought I was stupid were right and I’m incompetent.”

“Then you’ll take a summer semester, and a winter one if you have to– And for whatever course you take, I’ll sign up for one too. I’ll take some gen-ed’s or something, just so we’re in it together.”

His lips tug into a smile, which makes Annabeth’s eyes brighten and she’s grinning at him, “There’s my favorite smile in the world.”

He kisses her, “Thank you.”

She shakes her head, her fingers moving to play with the curls at the nape of his neck, “I’m always here, Seaweed Brain.”

“Yeah, but it’s like 3:30 and you have a morning class tomorrow.” 

She shrugs, “It’s a review day for a test we have next Monday– I think I can skip and stay in bed with you.”

His heart swells in his chest and his lips are on hers again and all he can think is how _maddeningly_ in love with Annabeth Chase he is and when her lips travel down his neck, all he can do is tighten his grip on her hips and take her in.

  
  
  


When Percy sees Annabeth getting coffee with a guy he doesn’t know, he shouldn’t be as irritated as he is. When she mentions how she has to skip their lunch plans so they can work on their presentation together, he swallows the way he feels his entire body flare up. When she forgets to Facetime him one night because she’s busy with him, he ignores the way he’s itching to summon a wave to practically drown the guy. When Annabeth cancels their plans a second time so she can work with him, he finds himself calling Frank, demanding he meet him to spar. 

They’re in the Field of Mars, and Percy’s thrashing Riptide towards Frank, who’s easily deflecting every jab. When Percy’s hit is a bit too aggressive, Frank pauses, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Percy nods, lifting the hem of his shirt to wipe at the sweat that collected on his forehead, “Yeah, fine, why?”

Frank blocks another one of Percy’s hits, “You’re tense. And you’re clearly angry.”

“I’m _fine_.” It comes out as a growl, though, and when Frank’s sword tears the bottom of Percy’s shirt, he lets out a string of curses in Greek and drops Riptide to the ground, discarding the shirt. It’s not like it was any use anymore, anyway. It was ripped to shreds from Frank’s sword jabs.

“Percy, talk to me.” Frank says it quietly, and Percy twists, whipping the hilt of Riptide out to knock Frank’s sword out of his hand. “You’re getting weaker, Zhang.”

“You’re deflecting.” Is all Frank says in response, and for some reason, that brings up another wave of anger in Percy, and his eyes darken as he starts to practically yell into the empty arena, “What do you want me to say, Frank? That I’m mad? Well, I _am_! Happy? I’m mad that Annabeth keeps blowing me off, I’m mad that I’m struggling to figure out my damn major while she’s out there thriving in her own, I’m mad she’s spending more time with her stupid partner than she is with me! I’m _mad_ , okay?”

Percy’s seething by the end of his speech, and he tosses Riptide onto the sand, and his voice is much weaker when he speaks again, “I’m mad that Annabeth is gonna realize I’m not enough for her.”

“Percy, Annabeth’s not breaking up with you anytime soon.” Percy doesn’t believe Frank’s words for a second, but he remains quiet, “She loves you, okay? She’s not gonna leave you just ‘cause some guy can talk architecture with her. You’re her best friend, her first love, the person who risked his life and rejected immortality for her– those things matter more than just talking about a topic.”

Percy’s hands ball into fists as Frank speaks, and even though he’s being logical, a bigger part of Percy, the irrational part, is still angry. He picks Riptide back up, “Come on, let’s go again.”

“Percy, you’re angry. Let’s–”

“I can easily find someone else to spar with.” Percy responds coldly, and for a moment he feels guilty and wants to apologize, but he doesn’t, and Frank picks up his sword, “For what it’s worth, I mean it. She loves you, dude.”

Percy lifts Riptide, completely ignoring Frank’s words, “Ready?” 

And their swords collide.

It’s much later in the day when he finally finishes from the stadium and heads back to his dorm. His tattered shirt is dangling from his fingertips, while his backpack’s slung on his bare shoulder and his hair is still damp with sweat when he steps inside. His eyes widen in surprise when he spots Annabeth on his bed, skimming through a book with her legs crossed at her ankles.

“What are you doing here?” The words leave Percy’s mouth before he can stop them, and Annabeth looks up, raising an eyebrow, “Liam let me in– He’s gonna be out for the night, by the way, and I wanted to see you since _you_ cancelled our breakfast this morning for no reason.”

“Oh, so when I cancel ‘cause I want to sleep in, it’s a problem, but when you cancel to spend time with some guy, I’m supposed to be okay with it?” Percy knows he’s letting his anger speak before he can even think, and Annabeth’s gaze narrows, “Is there something that you’d like to say, Percy?”

“Not really, no.” His voice is cold and he doesn’t even recognize it. Annabeth stands up and gives him a challenging expression, “No, say it. Come on.”

“ _Fine_.” He states, and drops his bag and the shirt onto the floor, “You’ve blown me off so many times these past two weeks to spend time with some guy from your Greek History class and I’m kind of tired of it.” 

“Gods, Percy– It’s for the class! We have a presentation!” She exclaims, exasperated, and Percy scoffs, “Oh, really?”

“Really.” She responds curtly, and Percy rolls his eyes, another wave of anger passing through him, “If it was just the presentation, you wouldn’t be texting him nonstop, you wouldn't be rushing to spend time with him– Gods, I went to the library _once_ and you lost it!”

“That’s unfair!”

“How? How is it unfair, Annabeth, when I did that once, and you’ve done it far more times than I can count? Does he even know you have a boyfriend?” Percy’s yelling and when Annabeth mumbles a _‘no’_ , he slams his hand against his desk. He doesn’t realize how much anger and frustration is running through him, but when Annabeth jumps back, every emotion in his body ebbs away. He’s suddenly seven years old again, watching his ex-step father slam his fist against the table when his mother forgot to buy him his favorite beer, and Percy’s head can’t stop spinning.

His hands are shaking, and when he lifts his palm, it's dark red from the hit against the table. There’s small cuts littering his knuckles from how tightly he gripped Riptide earlier today, and when he looks up at Annabeth and sees the momentary flash of fear in his eyes, he stumbles back. 

“I– _No_.” He falls onto the floor, and he doesn’t feel the way his door slams against his back as he brings his knees up to his chest. He can feel tears burning in the back of his throat and Annabeth’s beside him in seconds, “Percy, Percy– Are you okay?”

He shakes his head, lifting his hands to hold his face, “I’m– I’m not him, I won’t be him.” Percy can feel hot tears running down his face but he refuses to let his hands touch anything else. His mind is reeling and his voice is barely coherent, “I’m not this person, I’m not _Gabe_.”

The last word comes out with much more aggression than Percy intends, and Annabeth’s hand is on his knee, “Percy– My Gods, Percy, you’re _not_ Gabe. You’ll _never_ be him.”

“How do you know that?” He responds harshly, “You– You hung out with a guy a few times and I’m a jealous and angry mess and I was instantly itching to get my anger out somehow, what does that tell you?”

“It tells me,” Annabeth begins, her tone nothing but soft as she grabs both his hands, pulling them away from his hair, “That you’re a normal teen guy who’s defensive of his girlfriend, and who has every right to be mad at his girlfriend because she’s stupid and didn’t tell her partner that she’s already taken.” 

She leans forward, pressing a kiss to Percy’s jaw, and he can feel his anger disappearing as her lips trail down his neck, “You,” she whispers against his collar bone, “Are _not_ your old step-father, Percy. You’re kind, protective, caring, and too sweet for your own good.”

She presses a kiss to a pulse point on his neck, and he momentarily hopes she can’t feel the way his heart is racing in his chest, from a mix of anxiety and from the way she’s kissing him. She pulls away from his neck and looks down at his hands, “You have really calloused hands, you know that?”

There’s a slight playfulness to her voice, but it’s more serious than anything, “And when you battle, you’re a monster, I won’t shy away from that truth. But the second they touch your hands touch me, the second they’re on _me_ , you’re holding me like I’m glass. It drives me absolutely insane and anywhere you touch me makes my skin feels like fire, but you’re gentle. You _always_ have been.” 

She’s whispering, and Percy can feel silent tears still streaming down his cheeks as she speaks, and she gives him a sad smile and presses a kiss to his cheek, “I love you, so much. You will never, _ever_ turn into that man, because you have too much good in your heart to ever become that dark.” Her hand is on his chest as she speaks, directly above where his heart is, and he feels so overwhelmed he could combust, “You’re the best man I know, and I’m _so_ in love with you. My home, remember? Wherever you go, I’m there.”

She kisses his other cheek, “And I’m so sorry for ditching you– I got caught up and I just didn’t think and I should have been here, with you. You’re already having an awful semester and I shouldn’t be adding to it.” 

He shakes his head, and when he finds his voice, it’s hoarse and low and he knows he’s going to wake up tomorrow with a sore throat, “It’s not your fault– I, I should have talked to you from the get go instead of burying it. I just,” He sighs, “I _can’t_ lose you.”

Annabeth shakes her head, “You could never lose me, Seaweed Brain. I’m _yours_.” 

His knees fall from his chest, and once they do, she climbs into his lap. Her knees are on either side of him and their chests are pressed together and his head’s dizzy from the lack of proximity between them. He only just realizes she’s in a pair of Nike shorts and his old swim jersey, and that sends his heart into overdrive. She presses another kiss to his jaw, “You are, and will be, the _only_ guy who knows this side of me.” 

His hands are on her hips, and as she’s kissing him, they travel down and grip her thighs. She plants a kiss to his pulse point, “The _only_ guy who gets to touch me.”

She meets his eyes and when she smiles at him, everything in the room goes out of focus. “You, Percy Jackson, are the _only_ guy for me.”

He kisses her with a newfound intensity and confidence, his hands not hesitating to grip onto her and tug her even closer to him. Her hands are in his hair almost as if it’s second nature and she’s letting out soft noises into the kiss that are driving Percy crazy, and as his lips trail down her neck, he’s searing the words “ _I love you_ ” into her skin. 

She was his, and he had her, and that was all that mattered.

  
  
  


They’re in Annabeth and Piper’s dorm a few weeks later, and Percy’s sitting in front in front of Annabeth’s bed at her feet, and she’s using one hand to twirl strands of his hair in between her fingers while the other one is sketching. Piper’s out for the day, choosing to spend it with Hazel instead.

Percy’s typing up a lab report and as he switches between tabs, he momentarily pauses on one of them. For the past three days, he’s been on the application to change his major, and every day he hesitates over the “Submit Application” button, even though the major is already checked off. 

“Psychology?” Annabeth says from above his head, and she shifts from behind him, resting her head on his shoulder. He glances at her from the side, and he can see a smile on her lips, “Hmm, I see it.”

Percy grins, and he can feel a blush forming on his cheeks, “Do you?”

“Definitely, but I didn’t think you wanted to be a therapist.”

“I was thinking more social worker, actually.” He responds, his voice a bit shy, “I just– We see _so_ many kids here and at Camp Half-Blood that have awful parents, or were in really bad foster care, and I want to help. I want to make a kid’s life better, and more than just as a counselor at camp.”

As he speaks, he feels a weight lifting off his chest. He had been debating how he wanted to bring it up to Annabeth and now that it was finally out there, it was a relief. She gives him a kiss on the cheek, and the hand that was in his hair moves to hold onto one of his hands. “You’d be amazing as a social worker, Percy.”

He turns his head so he can properly give her a kiss, and once they pull away he hits submit on the major form. He releases a sigh of relief, “I’ve been waiting to do that for three days. Worst anxiety of my life.”

Annabeth laughs, and he climbs onto the bed to sit down beside her, resting his head on her shoulder. He closes his eyes, but his hand still manages to find hers and he holds onto it, “Thank you.”

“I didn’t even do anything.” She laughs once again, and Percy decides right then and there that it’s his absolute favorite sound in the world. The first one used to be the sound of the oven timer going off for cookies, but this, Annabeth’s laugh right beside his ear, that was better than any tray of cookies and he’d take that statement to his grave. 

“You did everything, Wise Girl.” He responds, and his voice is low, “You always believe in me and support me, even when I’m at my most annoying and upset and nothing can console me. Everytime I’m having the worst day you’re just… you’re _right_ there to cheer me up or give me the best advice and I love you so much.”

He feels her press a kiss to his forehead, “I love you, too, Seaweed Brain. And you know I’m always here.”

He opens his eyes and momentarily peers at Annabeth, and she’s still sketching, her gray eyes focused on the sketchpad in front of her. When Percy looks down, he sees her drawing a small town. “Which class has you drawing a town?”

He lifts his head off her shoulder and when he looks at her, there’s an adorable pink blush on her cheeks, “It’s– it’s not for a class.”

She meets his gaze almost shyly, “I’m designing New Athens. I know it’s stupid and Camp Half-Blood definitely isn’t like Camp Jupiter, but the Roman demigods have this place as a safe haven and a home, so why shouldn’t Greek demigods have that option too? I mean, I know we have the alliance and all but it’s still not the same, you know? And _I know_ it’s probably a pipe dream because it would take forever to expand Camp Half-Blood to that capacity– if it were to be in Long Island, anyway. I mean, I want it to be in New York, but the Gods–.”

“It’s perfect, Annabeth.” He cuts her off, and she pauses, and there’s a timidness to her expression that makes Percy giddy, “Really?”

He nods once, and presses a quick to her lips, “We’ll convince the Gods to somehow get on board with it, and we’ll figure out a way for it to happen. You’re right– Greek demigods deserve a place like New Rome. Roman demigods raise literal generations here, but Camp Half-Blood is known for just having campers for their childhood and teens, and mainly only direct children of gods, not legacies. We should extend– let children of demigods in, let adults be counselors and build homes so they can have a safe haven town if they want.

There’s a smile on Annabeth’s lips as she pokes Percy with the eraser side of her pencil, “So we can have _our_ children go to Camp Half-Blood?”

When those words escape her lips, there’s a wave of emotions that overpass Percy. He always thought about the idea of having children with Annabeth, ever since he first saw Camp Jupiter, but he never said it aloud and he didn’t even know if Annabeth was thinking on that same wavelength. He smiles so wide and he can feel his heart humming in his chest as he reaches up to hold Annabeth’s jaw in his hand, “We can definitely have our children go to camp, yeah.”

The smile she gives him makes his heart practically burst out of his chest, and he kisses her. The kiss held a silent promise of their future together: moving in, marriage, children. He would make that future a reality, regardless of anything. Without Annabeth, he didn’t want that future anyway. And it was a damn good future, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u soph for being my beta reader i love u mwah!
> 
> tumblr: percabeths | twitter: ditesdaughter


	7. Chapter 5, Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK U FOR 2K HITS MWAH

**ANNABETH**

Annabeth gets her first nightmare two weeks into sophomore year. She buries it, of course, and gets up and takes a breather before falling back to sleep.

That was four months ago months ago. Now, in December, she was no stranger to nightmares. Back when they were in Camp Half-Blood, the nightmares were accompanied by Percy holding onto her and he would instantly make her feel better. Here, though, she was alone. Granted, she knew Piper was right there and her friend was more than understanding about everything that goes on in Annabeth’s brain, but she hated feeling like a burden. So, instead, Annabeth would let silent tears stream down her cheeks as she was bombarded with nightmares every other night. It reached a point where Annabeth had a bottle of melatonin gummy vitamins beside her, and she was downing two of them almost every night. 

Tonight, in particular, was a bad one. She woke up gripping her bed sheets and covered in a layer of sweat, despite it being the middle of winter and her being in just a tank top. Almost immediately after her eyes opened did she begin to cry, silent sobs wracking her body. She so desperately wanted to reach out to Piper, but just her luck, Piper had chosen that night to have a sleepover with Hazel. 

She wanted to do something, anything, but she felt frozen. The darkness of the room absolutely terrified her, yet she couldn’t get up and turn on the lights. She didn’t even want her feet to move underneath the blanket, too afraid that there may be something underneath that could grab her. She curled her arms around her face and cried into her arms, attempting to force herself to sleep again. She had taken sleep aids, so why weren’t they working. At some point, she managed to dart her hand off her bed for seconds to grab her phone, and before she could think anything through, she dialled Percy’s number.

It was almost four in the morning, and on most days, Annabeth hated disturbing anyone’s sleep, especially Percy’s, but she needed him more than she cared about his sleep right now. He picks up, his voice holding the raspiness that it usually did when he woke up, “Annabeth, what’s wrong?”

“Come over.” She’s practically whimpering, and she immediately hears Percy getting out of bed. “I’ll be there in five minutes, okay?”

“Use the spare key on the ledge. I can’t– I don’t want to get up.” She hasn’t moved from her position at all, and for as long as the room is dark and she’s alone, she has no plans on moving. 

“I will. I’m leaving my dorm now.”

He stays on the phone with her till he’s at her door, and although Annabeth knows it's him, she still gets a kick of anxiety when her door opens. Percy enters and kicks off his shoes before climbing into bed beside her. She instantly buries herself into his chest, and she’s sobbing into his shirt but he just wraps his arms around her and lets her cry. At some point, she hears the lamp switch turn on, and she knows Percy turned on her side lamp and she’s so grateful he’s there.

They stay like that for a moment, and Annabeth cries out all her fear until she’s dry sobbing. Percy’s hands are rubbing her back and for some reason, she’s shivering, despite the layer of sweat on her body. Once she finds her voice, it’s a broken whisper into his chest, “It was so bad.”

“What happened?” He doesn’t ask to pry, he asks out of caring and a bit of curiosity, and Annabeth shakes her head, “It’s just– Tartarus. I thought–,” she swallows, pausing so her voice can stop shaking, “I thought I was okay. I thought I was done with the nightmares about what happened down there– but I’m not.”

She shivers once more, and Percy’s arms tighten around her, “It’s always the same– and what’s worse is that they’re not even nightmares, they’re memories, Percy.” She’s crying again, and she has to squeeze her eyes shut and attempt to force the memories out of her head, “We don’t– We don’t talk about it but it’s killing me inside. We lived through two wars, we saw so much death and I can’t– I can’t get it out of my head.” 

“Annabeth, why didn’t you tell me?” There’s no hurt in his voice, it’s more of just a soft disappointment and a bit of guilt, and Annabeth just shakes her head, “I can’t burden you with that Percy. I–,” She pauses, “I can’t bring up your trauma just so I can vent about mine. It’s not right.”

“It’s not bringing up my trauma, it’s you– you confining in me, trusting me to help you out when you need me. If I can’t even be there for you when you need me then what’s the point?” He’s whispering almost sadly and Annabeth gets hit with a wave of guilt, “I’m sorry. I just, I don’t want to overwhelm you and your semester is already bad and I can’t make it worse on you.”

There’s a silence that passes over them, but Percy’s hands tighten around her and she knows that that’s enough communication for the two of them, and she’s so grateful for him being there in that moment. When she buries herself back into his shoulder, she can hear his heart hammering in his chest through the flimsy fabric of his shirt, and a wave of comfort passes over her as she syncs her breathing with his. 

“I get them too.” He says softly, breaking the momentary silence that was in the room, and when Annabeth looks up at him, he’s staring at her wall with a blank expression, “I used to say I’d rather have random dreams or even bad ones over visions, but now–” He takes in a shaky breath, and Annabeth sees his jaw tighten, “Now I’d take visions over these flashbacks and nightmares any day.”

“This isn’t– It’s not fair!” She balls his shirt in her fists, her tone suddenly angry, “Why should we be this scarred– physically and emotionally– while the Gods sit in Olympus happy and compliant?”

Percy grips her tighter, “Sometimes,” His voice is lower, and there’s a clear coldness in it that she knows isn’t directed to her, “Sometimes I wonder if Luke was right. Maybe not with siding with Kronos, but with– with saying the Gods use us as pawns. They made us fight wars for them while they sat on their thrones and now here we are and what did we get in return? PTSD and scars? Yeah, not worth it.”

“Percy…” She trails off, almosting warningly. For as spiteful and angry as she was, she wasn’t ready to test the Gods. She had just managed to start building a nice life with Percy, and a big part of her, the one that speaks over the part of her that wants to go on an absolute rampage, doesn’t want to risk ruining her future with him. 

“I’m serious, Annabeth! The Gods– They don’t _care_ , okay? Your childhood was ass and what did Athena do in return? She tried to get me to walk away from you! My mom and I couldn’t even make ends meet and Poseidon just sat there! Thalia was turned into a damn tree because Zeus wanted to avoid the prophecy, damn it! Gods be damned, I will never fight their wars again. I’m sick of being a pawn to them.” 

Percy speaks with so much fierceness and when Annabeth meets his eyes, they’re dark yet they’re practically glowing and for a moment all she can do is stare into them, her breath caught in her throat. He gives her a small squeeze, “I don’t care about what happens to the world– if you and my family are okay, that’s all I care about. The world could be damned.”

Annabeth rests her head back on his chest, and she can feel his heart pounding against her ear. She rests her hand on his bicep and gives it a small squeeze, “I don’t care about the world either, only you.”

The two of them fall silent after that, and Annabeth can feel herself falling back to sleep. This time, though, she’s nightmare free and there’s a comfort that settles into her chest when she falls asleep to the sound of Percy’s breathing.

Percy makes a point of spending a lot more nights in Annabeth’s dorm, and Piper doesn’t complain. A part of her knows Percy probably filled her in, especially considering that on the nights Percy doesn’t sleep over, Piper makes a note of turning on a nightlight. 

One night, they’re in Percy’s dorm and his roommate is out, so Annabeth’s in one of Percy’s hoodies and fluffy socks and they’re drinking hot cocoa while studying for their finals. He’s laying on the floor on his stomach while Annabeth’s claimed his bed, sitting with her legs crossed and notes scattered everywhere. 

“Have you ever thought about going to a therapist?” Percy asks, looking up from the packet of practice test questions he’s answering. Annabeth’s brows furrow, and she stops preparing flashcards to think about it. She shrugged, “Not really– I mean, what mortal therapist will believe me when I tell them about demigods? They’d just chalk it up to mental issues.”

“Well– There’s a demigod therapist here.” He says, and he sits up. “I just– I’m thinking of going to her regularly once we come back from winter break. I mean, even for demigod standards, we’ve been through so much, Annabeth, and I don’t think I can do this anymore. I can’t keep tossing all my issues onto you.”

He reaches out and grabs onto her hand, “And, even though I’m more than happy playing therapist, I think you could also see them. It’d help– at least with the nightmares.” 

Annabeth had never thought any demigods went into becoming a therapist– or at least, the thought never crossed her mind. But now that Percy’s told her there’s a therapist she could go to that would help her through all her issues, both the mundane, mortal ones and the more severe ones, she nods. “Yeah,” she says softly, giving his hand a squeeze, “Yeah, I think that’d help.” 

He shoots her a smile, and gives her hand a small kiss, “We’ll make our appointments together.”

In that moment, Annabeth knows she has Percy’s heart, and he has hers. Granted, he always has.

  
  
  


When they’re in New York City for winter break, Percy decides he wants to take Annabeth on a proper date. “None of that stupid late night at a diner crap,” He says as they’re baking cookies in the Jackson-Blofis apartment, “I do love those nights, but I mean a nice restaurant, where I where a fancy-ish outfit and you’re in a stunning dress and all of that.” 

Annabeth just rolls her eyes, but she gives him a kiss anyway and says he’s adorable for planning it. She ends up going shopping with Estelle and Sally for an outfit, seeing as most of her nice clothes are in New Rome and the only two occasions she planned fancy outfits for were Christmas and New Year’s, and she couldn’t recycle. 

Because Percy wanted to play the gentleman role to a tee, he demanded to pick her up at her door. The issue with that, however, was that the both of them were staying at the same apartment. Sally pitched the idea of Annabeth getting ready in her room, and the two of them, although finding it absolutely hilarious, agreed.

Annabeth was by no means a hair and makeup expert, but after years of hanging out with Piper and miscellaneous Aphrodite kids, she learned the basics. She was in a black blouse that had a deep V, tucked into a basic dark red high-waisted skirt, and she paired the look with a oversized leather jacket and thigh-high black stockings. She managed winged liner and red lipstick and after a layer of curl cream, her curls fell around her shoulders without their usual frizz, and as she slipped on her heeled combat boots, there was a knock at the door. 

“Percy, this is kinda stupid– _wow_.” She says as she opens the door, but cuts herself off at the sight of Percy. He’s in all black: his button up is only 3/4ths buttoned, and Annabeth’s practically drooling at the skin that’s showing, tucked into slim slacks rolled up perfectly at his ankles, with a black trench coat layered on top and his usual black vans. There’s a chain dangling from his pants, and Annabeth wants to jump him right then and there.

“ _Wow_ yourself.” Percy says, his voice completely in a daze, and she sees his eyes momentarily darken as he takes in her appearance. He’s almost drinking her in, and there’s a swell of self-satisfaction in seeing the way he’s shamelessly eyeing her. They’d been dating for so long now, but getting dressed up was a rare occurrence, and based upon the way Percy looks in his outfit, she makes a mental note that they need to make it a more common thing. She blushes, and she reaches onto Sally’s dresser to grab the small, red purse she’d bought. She gives him a bright smile, “Shall we?” 

Before they leave, however, Sally demands to take thousands of pictures of them, gushing endlessly about the way they match and how absolutely _stunning_ the two of them look. As they’re in the elevator, Sally texts her one particular one. They took them by the tree, given that Annabeth was wearing red and it matched the Christmas-y aesthetic. In the photo, Percy’s arm is wrapped around Annabeth and he has a wide smile on his lips as he whispers something in her ear, and Annabeth’s laughing while her hand rests on his chest. 

Her heart clenches in her chest and she quickly saves it and sets it as her lockscreen. He opens the door for her and waits till she’s settled in for him to get behind the wheel, and Annabeth rests her head back, “I missed this car.” 

Percy laughs, “Honestly? Me too.”

“So, where are we going?” Annabeth crosses her legs, and for a moment Percy’s gaze shifts off the road to look at her, and he gives her a quick smirk, “Don’t you know _anything_ about cliches, Wise Girl? It’s a surprise.”

She pouts, “That’s not fair.”

He laughs, and from the console, he grabs onto her hand and gives it a kiss, “You look beautiful, you know that?”

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and when they’re at a red light, she pecks a kiss onto his cheek, “Thank you.”

They end up at a cute Japanese ramen restaurant and Annabeth’s blushing as their waitress gives the two of them compliments. Percy kicks her under the table, “We’re hot, Chase.”

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile and her heart’s buzzing in her chest in the best possible way. 

When dinner’s over and they’re walking back to the car, Annabeth says it was a cute date, to which Percy snorts, “You thought that was it?”

“Please don’t say we’re going to a movie.” 

“I’m not that cliche, Annabeth.” He responds, “But this drive is gonna be a bit longer, so bear with me.” 

30 minutes later, they’re at a mini golf course and Annabeth feels like an absolute child due to her excitement. Percy hands her a neon purple club while keeping the blue one for himself, “You ready?”

She nods, and they’re off to the first hole. She’s never done this before, and by the fourth hole, she’s frustrated with how bad she is. Percy’s laughing as she drops her club out of anger, and she gives him a small pout, her brows furrowed, “You’re not supposed to make fun of me.” 

Percy shakes his head, an amused expression remaining on his face, propping his club up on a nearby faux-tree, before picking hers up. “Come on, let’s be cliche for one more second.” 

He wraps his arms around her and he places his hands atop hers, guiding her on how to properly play mini golf. She’s only a quarter paying attention, though. The rest of her is focused on the way he’s pressed against her and the way he’s speaking instructions into her ear, sending shivers down her body. He doesn’t let her go when she hits the ball, and once it enters the hole she jumps. Percy places a kiss to her neck, “Knew you had it in you.”

She turns, and despite the fact that they’re in public and there are people around, she kisses him. His hands are already around her waist and she feels them tighten, and her hands easily find his neck. Most of this night, she’s completely forgotten who they are. She ignores the fact that they’re demigods, that Percy is the savior of Olympus, that she’s the architect of Olympus, that they go to a college across the country made for demigods– all she’s focused on is that she’s 19 and on a date with her boyfriend of two-and-a-half years. 

When they part, there’s a slight red tinge to his lips, but when Annabeth points it out, he just shrugs and kisses the corner of her mouth, “Let people know I’m taken.” 

They end the date on Percy’s roof, laying on a blanket he draped on the floor and there are thick pillows everywhere, and Percy bought a mini projector that he set up. They’re watching a cliche rom com and even though Annabeth was wearing her own jacket, Percy still gave her his and she immediately swapped the two of them. His trench coat practically swallowed her, but she loves it and he managed to sneak a photo of her in it: she’s laying down, her attention focused on the movie, and her hair’s all around her and Percy thinks the photo is so stunning he sets it as his lock screen and Annabeth’s cheeks are burning. 

“So, I know Christmas is in three days, but I wanted to give you your present early.” Percy says as they’re watching _Stuck in Love_ , and she sits up from her position on his chest, “Wait– but yours is downstairs!”

Percy laughs, lifting himself off the floor, “It’s okay– I mean, this is technically only one of your gifts, but I kind of want you to wear it on Christmas, so…” 

He trails off, and from underneath a pillow, he pulls out a small red box. He hands it to Annabeth, and she can feel her heart pounding. For a moment, she’s convinced it’s an engagement ring and she wants to yell and cry, but then her logic kicks in and she knows it’s too big to hold a ring.

“Well? Open it.” Percy’s voice cuts into her thoughts, and Annabeth shoots him a quick glare, “Don’t rush me.”

He laughs and presses a kiss to the side of her head. “Fine, take your time.”

She rolls her eyes but opens the box anyway, and feels tears spring in her eyes at the necklace. Inside the box is a thin gold chain with a small coral heart pendant. She meets Percy’s eyes, and he’s looking at her with a small smile, “You haven’t been wearing your camp necklace as often, but I still wanted you to wear the coral. I reshaped it, though, and I honestly was just praying you wouldn’t notice it was missing.”

She leans over and presses a kiss to his lips, a hand cupping his jaw while the other holds onto the box. When they pull away, she’s smiling, “It’s beautiful, Percy. Thank you.”

He grins, and Annabeth carefully pulls it out of the box before holding it out to him, “Put it on me?”

He complies, and Annabeth balls her hair up to the top of her head so he can secure it on her neck. Once he clasps it shut, he places a soft kiss to the nape of her neck before she drops her hair. She gives him another kiss, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Three days later, they’re sitting around the Christmas tree with hot chocolate and blue chocolate chip cookies. When it’s time for Annabeth to give Percy his present, she has to put Estelle, who was curled up in her lap, onto the floor so she can go grab it. 

“Percy, you have to close your eyes.” She instructs, standing around the corner of the living room. “What? Why?”

She rolls her eyes at his demanding tone, “I couldn’t properly wrap it, okay? So close your eyes!”

She can hear Sally and Paul laughing, and when Sally calls out and says that Estelle’s covering Percy’s eyes, she finally steps out from around the corner. She’s holding a skateboard in both her hands, topped with a blue bow and on the bottom of it, Annabeth had used a mix of paint and stickers to make a collage that matched Percy’s personality and aesthetic– there’s blue waves, cookies, a trident next to an owl, a New Rome University sticker, and Camp Half-Blood’s logo, amongst other things.

Estelle’s jumping up and down with excitement as Annabeth places it in front of Percy before sitting down across from him, “Okay, open.”

Estelle lifts her hands off his eyes as he opens them, and they’re instantly wide and there's a smile on his lips that leaves Annabeth’s breath caught in her throat. He picks it up, marvelling at it, and Annabeth gives him a smile, “Piper always says you dress like a skater– figured it was time to fit the role.”

He leans over and presses a kiss to her lips, ignoring the way his little sister makes a “blegh” noise. And even though it’s absolutely freezing out and Annabeth’s way too cozy to want to leave the apartment, she and Percy spend the afternoon at a nearby skatepark while Percy masters it. At some point, Annabeth’s sitting on it and he’s pushing her around and she’s laughing so hard there are tears in her eyes and she couldn’t have had a better Christmas.

  
  
  


When the spring semester starts up again, Percy’s roommate has a new girlfriend who seems to spend too much time in their dorm, which results in Percy practically at Annabeth’s and Piper’s for the majority of his time. 

When Piper walks in and sees Percy laying in Annabeth’s bed with his head in her lap, she lets out a groan. “Jackson, I think I’m gonna play the roommate veto card. Get out.”

“I got you two chocolate bars and a bag of hot Cheetos.” Percy responds, his gaze fixed on Annabeth’s laptop screen, and without looking, he holds out a plastic bag.

Annabeth laughs when Piper snatches it from his grip and inspects the content for a moment, before sitting on her bunk, “You can stay another day.”

“You’re so mean to me, McLean.”

“You love me.” 

“That’s extremely debatable.”

“Hey! Are we not both Annabeth’s favorite people? Can’t you play nice?” She responds, ripping open one of the chocolate bars, and Annabeth watches Percy turn to her with a frown, “You just tried to kick me out!”

“Lies and propaganda.” She says with a mouthful of chocolate, and Percy just shakes his head, settling himself back in Annabeth’s lap, “Your roommate is a monster.”

Annabeth laughs, ignoring the way Piper’s protesting from her bed, and kisses Percy’s forehead, “She’s just cranky because she’s not sleeping.”

“And why’s that my fault?” He responds with a huff, and Annabeth leans down, her voice low, “Because her roommate won’t stop making out with her boyfriend at night.” 

Percy grins, and the sight sends a flurry of butterflies through her chest, “It’s not my fault her roommate is so kissable.” 

Annabeth’s cheeks are burning and she rolls her eyes, turning her attention back to the laptop screen. She’s not even focusing on the movie, because Percy’s drawing patterns into her thigh with his finger and she’s curling strands of his hair in her fingers before releasing them. For a moment, Annabeth focuses on the strands of hair by his forehead, the ones that used to have a matching gray streak with her. 

“Remember when we had matching streaks in our hair?” The question seems very out of the blue, but honestly, everytime Annabeth plays with his hair (which is practically _every_ time they’re together) the thought crosses her mind. Percy nods, “Yeah, I’m kinda sad we lost them.”

“We should re-dye them into our hair.” It’s a throwaway comment, really, because what kind of person would just agree to have their hair dyed at 8 o’clock at night on a Tuesday? Percy sits up, “We don’t know anyone who can dye hair.”

She’s about to tell him she’s actually joking, but Piper speaks up from her bed, her gaze focused on her phone, “Yes, you do. I used to cut and dye people’s hair in junior and senior year. I could easily give you guys gray streaks.”

Annabeth and Percy exchange looks, and he shrugs, “I’m down. I mean, I don’t think Piper should be trusted with hair supplies, but she’s an Aphrodite kid– I’d bet on her.”

“Gee, thanks.” 

He turns his attention from Annabeth to shoot Piper a quick grin, then looks back at Annabeth. “You in?”

She grins, and before her brain can overthink it, she nods, “Let’s do this.”

After a quick trip out of Camp Jupiter to the nearest drugstore, Percy’s sitting on Annabeth’s floor with bleach in a chunk of his front hair. “This stuff hurts.” Percy grimaces, and Annabeth’s momentarily grateful for the fact that she doesn’t need that. 

Annabeth rolls her eyes, “Seaweed Brain, you’ve fought monsters. I think you can manage bleach.” 

His nose scrunches up and there’s a small pout on his lips, and the sight is so adorable Annabeth leans forward and kisses him, her heart pounding in her chest. She’s practically jumping from excitement– She gave Percy about five times to back out, but each time, he just waved her off and shot her a smile, saying he wanted to do this. 

There was a cliche that she’d heard frequently in romance movies– The whole notion that you knew a boy was truly head over heels for you when he’d do anything you asked him to. Since they were 16 years old, Percy complied to any one of Annabeth’s wishes without a single question asked. It didn’t matter how big or small the request was, he would bend over backwards for her and anytime Annabeth mentioned it, he would just give her a kiss and say that her happiness was worth it all. And for as much as that terrified her– having Percy do anything she wished, it also thrilled her.

Once the bleach set in, Percy rinsed it off and Piper quickly dried his hair before applying the gray dye to both their strands. While Percy just picked the same front patch of hair, Piper decided to give Annabeth a more ‘trendy’ style and dyed the two front strands of her hair. They sat side by side on the floor of the small dorm watching movies as the dye set in, and Annabeth was holding onto Percy’s hand like it was her lifeline. When they first got these strands at 14, a part of Annabeth, the part that had a huge crush on him and couldn’t believe he went on a quest to save her, was so happy for them. Although they held up the actual sky to get the streaks, the teenage part of Annabeth only saw them as a physical indication of her and Percy’s bond– an indication that they belonged to each other. 

Now, here they were, five years later, and Annabeth felt the same way as they washed the dye off together in the sink of their small dorm bathroom– that Percy now had a physical indication that he was Annabeth’s, and she had one that she was his. When they both finished drying their hair, they laid back onto Annabeth’s bed, and her fingers immediately found his hair. Annabeth didn’t know if it was because Piper was just good at dying hair or if it was because she was the daughter of Aphrodite, but Percy’s hair still had the same soft, smoothness it usually did despite being bleached and dyed. His fingers were curling around her own front strands as well, “The gray suits you, Wise Girl.”

She grins, “It suits you, too, Seaweed Brain.”

He rolls his eyes, “You just like that we’re matching again– That it physically shows I’m yours.”

“Hm, maybe.” She responds nonchalantly and there’s a blush on her cheeks because of how easily Percy read her thoughts, but Percy has that same troublemaker smile that she’d fallen in love with at 16 as he shifts so he’s hovering over her, “Just maybe?”

She wraps her arms around her neck, “So what if it’s a yes?”

He responds with a kiss to her jaw, “I think it’s pretty obvious I’m yours, Annabeth. I mean, I take any chance I get to tell anyone.” 

His left hand finds hers, and he lifts himself so he can gaze at the coral pendant that’s settling on her collarbones and he runs his thumb over Annabeth’s left ring finger. “Right now, you wear that necklace.” He kisses the corner of her mouth, “In a few years, you’ll wear a ring.”

Annabeth’s heart flutters in her chest at Percy’s words, and he kisses the other corner, “The second I put a ring on that finger, I’ll put one on as well.” Another kiss, “Traditions be damned, I want the world to know I belong to you, Annabeth Chase,” Another kiss, “ _Only you."_

She’s sighing in content as he trails kisses across her skin and her heart’s humming in her chest. Percy’s always spoken about their future together but she always thought that was just the teenage boy in him yearning for a normal life, but now that they were getting older and closer to their futures, his promises for their life together have become increasingly more serious. She manages to whisper a soft “I love you” in between his kisses and when her eyes flutter shut the image of Percy on one knee flashes through her mind, and all she can think is that she never, _ever_ wants to let Percy Jackson go.


	8. Chapter 6, Part II

**PERCY**

Ever since Annabeth got Percy the skateboard on Christmas, he’s made a point to use it as much as possible. And because they were lucky enough to live in California, most weekends he would convince Annabeth that they should spend the day in the skatepark. 

It’s a bright Saturday morning, the third one of the spring semester, and Percy’s practicing flips while Annabeth’s laying on a blanket in the grass, flipping through a book on Greek myths. She’s in jean shorts and a light blue shirt that’s so big she has to knot it and it's falling off her shoulder and her hair’s in a bun on the top of her head. Percy thinks she’s breathtaking, and at some point, he tells her she’s a distraction, to which she laughs and blows him a kiss. 

After a fifth failed attempt in a row to flip the board properly, he lets out a frustrated huff, and Annabeth’s laughing from behind him, “Come here and sit down, you baby. Take a break.”

He picks up the skateboard and drops it on the grass before flopping down beside Annabeth. She hands him a water bottle, and there’s an amused smile on her lips, “Having fun?”

Percy rolls his eyes as he untwists the cap, “Don’t act like you didn’t just watch me fall five times in a row.”

She laughs, resting her head on his shoulder, “Doesn’t mean you can’t not have fun, dummy.” 

“Well, I’m not.” He puffs out, then downs half the water bottle in one go. He was so used to every skill coming naturally to him and when he was younger, he would penny board all the time, so why weren’t all skateboard tricks coming easily?

Annabeth pokes his cheek, right where his dimple is, “How about you teach me?”

His eyes instantly light up, and he turns to meet Annabeth’s eyes, “Really?”

She nods, pushing a sweaty strand of hair out of his face, “Why not? Just– You have to hold my hand.”

He grins and stands up, before extending his hands down, “Well, come on.”

She takes both his hands and he pulls her to her feet. He intertwines one of their hands while he picks up his skateboard with his other one, and he places it on the skateboard. 

“You just stand on it and push off with one foot.” He states, and Annabeth rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile on her lips, “You’re such a good teacher, Seaweed Brain.”

He laughs, “Come on! There’s really not much to… teach, I guess? It’s instinctive.”

She gives him a hesitant look, “Don’t let go of my hand.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He grins, and she steps onto the skateboard. Her grip is deathly tight around Percy’s hand and a wave of amusement passes through him. Annabeth had fought monsters, trained at a camp that taught you how to kill, and yet here she was, holding onto him for dear life because of a skateboard. 

He’s holding into her hand as she kicks off the ground and slowly starts moving, and he walks alongside her. “Put both your feet up, I’ll give you a nudge.” He says after a moment, and she shoots him a warning look, “You just said you wouldn’t let go!”

Percy’s grins, giving her hand a small squeeze, “Trust me.”

He can tell she’s reluctant, but she complies and settles both her feet onto the board, and Percy gives her a push. Her arms are outstretched and she’s trying to balance onto the board, and Percy can’t help but laugh at the sight. Annabeth Chase was a lot of things, but the fact that she was slightly afraid of skateboarding was something he hadn’t expected.

When she starts to stumble to a stop, Percy runs to catch her as she slips off. She falls into his chest, and she’s laughing into his shoulder as he uses his foot to stop the board, his hands secure around her waist, “See? That was fun.”

“My heart was pounding like crazy, no thank you.” She responds as she steadies herself, “I’m gonna leave the skating to you.”

“But you would look so cute dressed as a skater.” He responds playfully, and when Annabeth means his eyes, they’re shining, “But you’re already hot as the skater in this relationship, let’s give other couples a chance to shine.”

He laughs and she’s kissing him again, and Percy’s lifting her in his arms, her legs going around his waist, and all he can do is take her in. 

When they’re at the quarter way point of the semester, Percy can feel himself going insane. Switching majors in the middle of the year meant he was taking a bunch of new courses he was unfamiliar with and he was constantly stressed about all his homework. When he was an Oceanography major, most of his papers were lab reports or worksheets, not so much research. Sure, he had a lot of quizzes and tests, but at least he wasn’t being forced to spend hours typing up papers and switching between 10 tabs so he can gather material. 

Now, though, he had three papers due within the next two days and a test on Friday, and he was reaching his limit. He’s amassed five hours of sleep in the span of three days, has managed a total of six meals in those days, and was overall exhausted. To top it off, he hasn’t seen Annabeth for a week and a half. 

Now, he’d like to say it’s not completely his fault. He’d like to blame it completely on school and say that she also wasn’t putting in effort– but that would be a lie. Truthfully, Percy was the one who wasn’t doing enough. If they made plans, he’d somehow forget them or get too caught up in whatever else he was doing and have to cancel, or he’d just reject Annabeth’s proposals outright to focus on other things. The most they’ve managed are phone calls here and there, but even then Percy can admit he’s only half paying attention. 

It’s not like he doesn’t feel guilty about it– The whole thing is actually tearing him apart inside and he knows he’s being an awful boyfriend but he needs to prioritize his grades. If he falls behind this semester, that throws off his entire plan that ensures he can graduate in 3 years’ time, and he can’t fall behind. That’s _never_ been an option and even though both Annabeth and his mother have reminded him countless times that not everyone graduates in four years, he needs to. It’s a principal thing– he needs to prove to everyone who doubted his intellect that he’s not as stupid as they say he is. 

He’s sitting at his desk one afternoon working on a mix of a research paper and making flashcards for his exam when Annabeth Facetimes him. He picks up, but his gaze doesn’t leave his laptop screen. “Hey.”

His voice comes out a distracted whisper that doesn’t go unnoticed, “Um, hi. Is this a bad time, or–?”

“No!” He cuts her off, a little too quickly and eagerly, and he turns his attention to his phone screen. Annabeth’s on her bed, her hair tied up in a bun at the top of her head and Percy can see that she’s wearing his hoodie. “I just– I miss you. And this stupid semester is kicking my butt and–.”

“Yeah, I know.” Annabeth says in response, a slightly bored tone to her voice, “Every semester kicks your butt, apparently.”

Percy’s gaze narrows, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She shrugs, not quite meeting his eyes through her screen, “Nothing, Percy– I just miss you, too.”

Even though they’re just video chatting, there’s a tension in the air so thick it’s almost suffocating him, and he swallows a gulp of air in an attempt to down the anxiety that’s growing in his chest, “How about this: Let’s go on a picnic tonight, okay? Garden of Bacchus at 7.”

He can see Annabeth biting back a smile, which sends a wave of relief through him. If she’s holding back a smile, it means she’s not completely mad at him. It means he can make it up to her. She nods once, “Yeah, okay. I’ll pack the picnic this time, since you do it most days.”

He nods once, and his mood is immediately brightened, “That’s fine. I mean– I don’t mind doing it again, but since you want to…”

There’s a small laugh that escapes her, “It’s okay, I really don't mind. See you at 7.”

He grins, “See you then.”

They hang up and he turns his attention back to his flashcards. He’s trying so hard to ensure that his handwriting remains eligible enough that he can understand them in a few days, but his handwriting just gets sloppy the more sleepy he gets. 

He rests his head in the crook of his elbow as he swipes through another page in his e-book. He can tell his eyes are getting droopy and he should get up and walk around for a bit, maybe grab a coffee, but he’s so comfortable where he is and when sleep overtakes him, he gladly accepts it.

When he wakes up, two thoughts cross his mind: one, he drooled all over his spare notebook, and two, it’s 7:35 P.M which means he’s late for his date with Annabeth. He messily pulls on his black jeans and his sneakers, deciding his oversized crewneck has to be enough. As he’s walking there, he calls Annabeth. She picks up on the second ring, and before she can even say anything, Percy’s rambling, “I’m sorry. I’m so, _so_ sorry and I’m on my way and I just need you to stay there, okay?” 

He hangs up before she can respond and he’s sprinting the rest of the way there. He makes it panting, and once he spots Annabeth, an overwhelming wave of guilt hits him. She’s sitting in their usual spot on top of a dark blue blanket, and she looks so small. She’s in a yellow, loose pair of shorts and a white off the shoulder top and she looks _so_ beautiful, but she’s curled into herself. Her hair is covering half of her face, and when she hears Percy’s footsteps, she looks up. 

Percy feels like someone punched him in the gut. Her eyes are red and puffy, and there are tear streaks down her cheeks. When their eyes meet, Percy genuinely wishes someone would punch him, because he’s almost certain that it would hurt less than seeing the broken expression on Annabeth’s face. 

“Annabeth, I’m so–.”

“You know how stupid it is to wait thirty minutes for your date to show up?” Annabeth cuts him off, and she’s not looking at him. She’s staring at a random spot in the horizon, and her voice is monotone, which somehow makes it even worse, “I mean, I remember how in high school one of my friends was like talking about how the golden rule is that you shouldn’t wait more than 15 minutes, but you’ve been my boyfriend for almost three years. I figured you were worth 15 minutes. And then you were worth twenty. I don’t even know why I stayed– I should have left.”

“No, Annabeth, _please–_.” There’s a blatant desperation to Percy’s tone, and he drops down onto the floor and grabs onto Annabeth’s hands, “I’m sorry, fuck, I fell asleep right after we hung up and I haven’t been sleeping because of all my assignments and I know that’s not an excuse–.”

“Do you?” She cuts him off, and she’s still not meeting his gaze, “Because _every single time_ I try to make plans, you somehow cancel them or avoid them to do something or sleep.”

“That’s not fair.” 

“Why not?” She finally locks eyes with him, and there’s an intensity to her gaze, “I thought I was the bookworm, or whatever, in this relationship, and yet I’ve consistently managed to make time for you Percy, yet you won’t even spare me an hour out of your precious day to spend time with me.”

“That’s untrue and you know it.” He matches her tone, his aggravation rising in his chest and speaking for him, “You’ve cancelled your fair share of dates too, Annabeth. Don’t act innocent when half our dates last semester ended up having to be in your dorm because you couldn’t leave your laptop.”

“At least I made up for it!” She exclaims, pushing her hair out of her face. Her gray streaks are standing out more than ever today, and Percy can’t quite pinpoint why, “I would drop _everything_ once you showed up at my door and sit with you! I’d make up for it by showing up at your door the next day and I’d kiss you and tell you I love you and show you I care! You…” 

She stops, taking in a shaky breath. Percy can see a slight tremble in her lower lip, and some of his anger is replaced with guilt, “You don’t bother to care.”

“Annabeth, that’s–.”

“Not true? Me being dramatic? Unfair? Percy, do you know how many dates you missed this semester?”

When he remains silent, Annabeth keeps talking, “You missed ten dates. Do you know how many we scheduled? Fifteen. Do you know how many you made up for? Three. That’s eight dates. You’ve cared for eight dates. I’ve been trying– I show up to your dorm, I text, I call– You’re just… you’re not here.”

A silence passes over them, and Percy doesn’t know what to say. For as much as he wants to refute everything, he can’t. He knew there was truth to Annabeth’s words: Percy wasn’t putting in enough effort.

“You don’t care about this, about _me,_ anymore.” 

It’s a whisper, so low Percy barely catches it, but his eyes immediately shoot up, “Annabeth, _no–_ That’s not true.”

“How else can I take it, Percy? I just– You’re too busy for it.”

“Gods, Annabeth, the world doesn’t _revolve_ around us, okay? I can’t just stop everything for you and studying doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does you, so sue me if I have to take a few days and prioritize it– There’s bigger things to deal with than our relationship, okay?”

He doesn’t realize how harsh the words are till he looks at Annabeth’s face, and she looks like she’s been slapped in the face. He opens his mouth to desperately take back the words, but Annabeth speaks before he can, her voice a weak, broken whisper, “Well, I’ll make things easier for you. Our relationship, us, won’t be in your world anymore. You don’t have to _deal_ with it anymore.”

Before he can object, she stands up and leaves the Garden, and all Percy can do is pull his knees to his chest and feel the absolute pain that’s coursing through his body. He’s fought Titans, Gods, Giants– but _nothing_ hurt quite like this. He always thought physical cuts and bruises hurt, but this emotional pain, the feeling of his heart being ripped out of his chest and shattering, it _definitely_ hurt more. 

And behind the sobs that are wracking his body, all he can think is that without Annabeth, he doesn’t even _have_ a world to begin with. 

  
  


A few days after Percy’s big fall out with Annabeth (he _refuses_ to call it a breakup– he knows that’s what it was, but he can’t use that word) and he’s laying on his bed. He just got out of an exam, and he knows he absolutely bombed it, but he can’t bring himself to care. He looks, and feels, like hell, and all he wants is to stay in bed for the rest of the weekend. 

He doesn’t even notice Grover’s Iris Messaging him till he hears a loud whistle, causing his gaze to snap to where the message appeared. Grover has a frown on his lips, “Dude, you look like hell.”

“Gee, thanks.” Percy mutters, sitting up. Grover shoots him a sympathetic look, “What happened, Perce?”

Percy desperately wants to not cry, but Grover’s eyes are filled with sincerity and Percy can feel the tears rolling down his cheeks before he can stop them, “I fucked up, Grover. I fucked up _so_ bad.”

“Percy, she loves you.” Grover whispers soothingly, and Percy’s shaking his head, tears blurring his vision, “Gods, you didn’t see her face, okay? I–” He takes in a breath, and he can feel his hands shaking, “I broke her. Annabeth Chase, the girl who’s been through hell, and _I_ broke her.”

Percy digs the heels of his palms into his eyes, a noise of pure pain leaving his lips, “I don’t know how I’m supposed to go on knowing I did that.”

“Listen to me. You two…” Grover pauses, as if trying to think of how to word his thoughts, “You two have been in love with each other since you were 12 years old. A bond like that– a _love_ like that, it doesn’t go away because of college stress, okay? You two are mad, yes, but not at each other. You two have been mad at the world for far too long, and instead of letting it out a healthy way, it projected onto each other. But you know what, Perce? That’s normal. You two went through so much and now that you have a normal-ish life, you’re going to have some fights here and there, okay?”

Percy’s still unconvinced, and Grover lets out a sigh, “I just talked to her, man. She’s worse than you are– She skipped two days of lectures, when I texted Piper she told me she hasn’t eaten, and she’s a mess.” 

Percy looks at Grover through the mist, and his voice is so weak and needy that Percy feels like he’s a child again, “You think she’ll forgive me?”

“Of course she will– You’re Annabeth and Percy. Just talk to her, okay?”

“Thank you.” Percy whispers, and Grover gives him a smile, “Just remember– I'm the best man at the wedding.” 

With that, Grover wipes the Iris Message away and Percy’s tossing on sweatpants and a loose shirt before leaving his dorm. He texts Piper as he’s on his way over to theirs, and Piper responds almost instantly, saying she’s not home but that it’s about time they clean up their mess. Before he stops at her dorm, though, he goes to the Mess Hall and grabs food for the both of them, remembering how Grover said she hasn’t eaten in days. 

There’s a slight hesitancy to his knock on Annabeth’s door, and when she opens it and he takes her in, a wave of guilt and sadness passes over him. Her hair is tied up in a bun and her face is red and puffy, and her bags are darker than they usually are. She’s in his old high school swim team hoodie, one that he’s been looking for for two weeks now. Underneath the fabric, he can see the thin gold chain that held the coral pendant he gave her. She looks like hell, and yet to Percy, she’s absolutely beautiful.

As soon as the door is open wide enough, Percy’s arms are around her, tight around her waist as he tugs her into him. She doesn’t object, and instead buries her head in his chest, and Percy can feel her body shaking with sobs. Percy’s crying too, hot tears rolling down his face as he buries his head into her shoulder. She’s gripping onto the front of his shirt for dear life, and although they’re both crying and losing it, Percy’s never felt better. 

At some point, they pull away, and Percy’s hands cup her face, and his voice is filled with desperation but he’s too riled up to care, “I’m sorry– _Gods_ , Annabeth, I’m so, _so_ sorry. I was stupid, I was acting out because I was angry about not seeing you and instead of dropping a class or asking for extensions I lashed out on you and you– you didn’t deserve that. You’re the best part of my life, hell, you _are_ my life Annabeth Chase.”

Her lower lip is shaking and he wants to kiss her so bad, but he needs her to know how sorry he is, “I can’t–,” He takes in a shaky breath, “I don’t know how to live without you, and I don’t want to imagine a life where I am. You’re my world, my home– _everything_ , and I need you to know that. You have every right to yell at me, hit me, kick me out and tell me you never want to see me again, but I _needed_ you to know. I’m in love with you, and I will be, for the _rest_ of my life. And sometimes my anger is gonna make me say some dumb shit and I’m sorry, none of what I said was true, anyway. I’m stupid and I failed you and I _will_ do better. That’s a promise.”

He’s rambling and barely catching his breath as he speaks and he can feel his heart pounding heavily in his chest, but all he’s focused on are Annabeth’s eyes and the way they’re shining with unshed tears that he caused. When he finishes, Annabeth takes in a deep breath.

“You…” She whispers, her hands releasing his shirt to wrap around his neck, “Have _so_ many dates to make up for.”

He lets out a relieved, watery laugh and leans forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth, “I will. Every single one. Fifteen dates– I’ll make up for each one, and then some. I love you, Gods, I love you _so_ much.”

They’re kissing, and the kiss is tear filled and salty and all he can do is breath her in, but they’re gonna be okay, and that’s enough for him for the time being. They’re not perfect– They’re far from it. They’re two people who had to grow up too fast and who carry more emotional baggage than anyone else they know and who share emotional scars– but they fit. And Percy knows he’ll never find anyone like Annabeth Chase, and he doesn’t even want to find anyone else, because she’s really all he ever wants. 

  
They’ve reached the last few weeks of the spring semester, and Percy’s laying down beside Annabeth while they watch movies on her laptop in his dorm. His roommate is out for the rest of the night and so Annabeth’s in his shirt and some cotton shorts and already texted Piper to say she’s not coming back to their dorm.

He’s drawing random patterns on her bare arm with his finger, and for every stroke he makes, there’s a rush of satisfaction that runs through his body when he sees the goosebumps on her skin. “So,” he begins, his voice low, “Housing applications are due next week if you want to dorm.”

He’s trying his best to come off nonchalant and unbothered, but he already knows Annabeth won’t buy it. He’s been tip-toeing around this topic for two weeks now and if he’s being honest, he’s tired of being shy about it. Annabeth shifts in his arms so she can look at him, giving him a poke on the cheek, her voice teasing, “Look at you, remembering deadlines. I guess I rubbed off on you, huh?” 

He rolls his eyes, “I’m going to ignore that statement. Anyway, I was thinking and–.”

He stops speaking because Annabeth’s silently laughing from beside him, and he frowns, “You’re making fun of me!”

“No, I’m not!” She manages, a laugh escaping her lips, “Keep going, what were you saying?”

“I was _saying_ I don’t think I want to dorm next year.” His voice is almost nervous, and Annabeth has a small smile on her lips, “That’s so weird! I was thinking that too!”

“ _Annabeth_!” Percy’s voice is absolutely exasperated, and Annabeth erupts in a fit of giggles beside him. He groans again, “You are _not_ making this easy.”

She shifts so she’s laying on top of him, a wide smile on her lips, “Didn’t I tell you this already, Seaweed Brain? I’m never, _ever_ going to make things easy for you.”

She kisses him, and his brain turns into mush as he returns the kiss, his hands finding her hips and gripping onto her. When they pull away, her eyes are shining so bright Percy feels like his heart’s going to burst out of his chest. She’s playing with a curl on his forehead, one of the gray ones, and she has a smile on her lips, “Anything you wanna ask me?”

He rolls his eyes and pushes Annabeth off him, and he sits up. She’s still laying down, her lips a deep red from their kisses, her hair a mess around her head, the coral pendant resting on the side of her neck, and Percy’s shirt is falling off one of her shoulders, but she looks breathtaking. She always is, in Percy’s eyes.

“Annabeth Chase.” He begins, letting out a breath.

“Percy Jackson.” She’s teasing him, but there’s an excited glint in her eye and he can see the blush on her cheeks, and he grins, “Will you move in with me?”

“I would love to.” Is all she says in response, and she’s sitting up so they can kiss, and somehow she’s pulled into his lap and they’re whispering “I love you”s into each other’s skin. She pulls away first, and her fingers are playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, “Can I be honest?”

Percy lets out a hum in response, his lips peppering kisses down her neck, and Annabeth lets out a small sigh that causes a rush to pass through Percy, “I’ve been thinking about our future.”

Percy pauses, pulling his face away from her neck so he can meet her gaze, “And?”

There’s a soft, shy expression on her face that Percy finds adorable, “I love New Rome, I do, but it just– It doesn’t feel like home. When we graduate, I don’t want to stay in California. I want to move back to New York. The city, preferable, but that could change.”

Percy’s heart is thrumming in his chest. He’s always talked about their futures together, but with Annabeth, it was more offhanded, rare comments. Yet here she was, talking about their life together after college, and Percy has _never_ felt more in love. A breath escapes his lips, “I thought that too.”

“Really?” Her voice holds so much shyness and awe that Percy presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth, grinning, “Really. California is great and all, especially New Rome, but it’s not the same. So, yeah, we’ll move back to New York after graduating. We’ll job hunt during senior year and during summer, we’ll find an apartment in the city.”

“Hopefully near Sally.” She teases, and Percy rolls his eyes, “You’re telling me you don’t want to live near an endless supply of cookies?” 

She pauses, and there’s a faint smile on her lips, “Fair point.”

A laugh escapes him, and he kisses her shortly, “And then, I don’t know– If we have a kid, we’ll think about where we want to raise them.”

“When.” Annabeth corrects him, and Percy’s confused for a moment, “What?”

“You said ‘if we have a kid’,” She begins, her arms tightening around him as she meets his gaze, “It’s _‘when_ we have a kid’, Percy.”

That sentence is enough to send Percy’s mind reeling, and all he can do is kiss her, searing the words ‘I love you’ onto her lips as he pulls her as close to him as possible. He has a future with Annabeth, and that’s all that matters to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keep up w me! twit: ditesdaughter  
> tumblr: percasbeths  
> thank you for reading!


	9. PART III – JUNIOR YEAR

**_PART III — JUNIOR YEAR_ **

“ _He didn't think much of fates and prophecies, but he did believe in one thing: Annabeth and he were supposed to be together._ ”

\- House of Hades

**SOUNDTRACK** :

share your address - ben platt

what a feeling - one direction

life support - sam smith

best part – h.e.r, daniel caesar

yours - greyson chance

paper rings - taylor swift

ribs - lorde


	10. Chapter 7, Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for 3k hits 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

**ANNABETH**

Annabeth hates moving. Not only was the process of packing and unpacking exhausting, but she also had to go shopping for a bunch of furniture and random home accessories. Currently, she was at Ikea with Sally and Estelle and she felt like she was losing her mind. 

“Sally, I know this is all exciting and stuff but I really don’t care what color our drying rack is– we have a dishwasher!” Annabeth sighs, resting her hands on the handlebar of the shopping cart. Estelle, who was sitting down in front of her, gave her a small kick, “Get blue.”

“Most people moving into a new apartment with their boyfriend would be ecstatic to buy furniture and decorations, but _no_ , I’m stuck with the ansty 20 year old as my son’s boyfriend.” Sally huffs, picking up the stainless steel rack and dropping it in the cart. There’s a playfulness to her voice and Annabeth knows she’s teasing, but she still tries to defend herself. “Hey! I loved furniture shopping! I’m just– I’m so tired. This stuff isn’t even important, anyway.”

For the past week and half, they’ve been moving non stop. The first day they arrived back to California, they spent it double checking their apartment complex and signing the lease, then three days were spent furniture shopping and hoarding belongings in Annabeth’s dad’s garage. He didn’t mind, though, and Annabeth even managed to steal a few choice pieces of decor that she loved. They then spent the next days cleaning and assembling furniture and Annabeth was just tired. 

“Annabeth, sweetheart, this _is_ the important stuff, though.” Sally says, and her hand’s resting on Annabeth’s, “I know it seems trivial– But believe me, there’s an importance to it all. These little picks and choices seem irrelevant when you think about the bigger things like the actual furniture, but these do matter. Plus, all that’s left is a few more things for the kitchen and bathroom. By then, Paul and Percy will be done assembling everything.”

She presses a light kiss to Annabeth’s hairline, “Come on, let’s go.” 

Annabeth complies, and she spends the next 30 minutes debating her bathroom color scheme with Sally Jackson, and although she’d never admit it, she doesn’t exactly hate it. There was something completely soothing about designing her own apartment and the way Sally would make comments about Percy and hers’ future gave her a giddy feeling in her chest that she never wanted to go away.

When they get back to the apartment, Paul’s in the kitchen emptying out boxes of dishes and their living room looks completely furnished. 

“Where’s Percy?” Annabeth asks, Estelle in her hands. Once they got out of the car, which Annabeth had to borrow from her dad, the younger girl immediately asked Annabeth to carry her. Sally managed to carry as much as she could into the apartment, but there were still bags of home equipment sitting in the trunk that would eventually be dealt with.

“Last I checked he was assembling the bed. Might want to check on him, though. He was struggling.” He responds, and Annabeth gives him a small thank you before turning to Estelle, “Wanna annoy your brother while he’s already frustrated?”

“Duh.” 

Sally rolls her eyes at the two of them, “You two are impossible.”

Annabeth grins, readjusting Estelle in her arms, “I’m just teaching her right.”

With that, she heads into the bedroom. Estelle immediately jumps out of Annabeth’s arms and curls up onto the pile of throw pillows in the corner, Percy’s phone in her hands. Annabeth huffs, “I said annoy, not steal his phone!”

“I want to watch _Pokemon_ more.” Estelle responds, and Annabeth rolls her eyes and walks over to Percy, who’s sitting in the middle of the bed frame looking over instructions. She sits down beside him as he lays down on the floor, “Do we really need a bed? Honestly.”

Annabeth rolls her eyes, laying down beside him. Her head’s hovering above his, and she brushes a stray hair away from his face, “Sleep?”

He shrugs, “Mattress on the floor.”

Annabeth moves closer to him, and even though he’s sweaty and has been heavy lifting all day, he still smells like ocean waves and Annabeth’s in love. She lowers her voice, raising her hand to place it on his chest, right above where his heart’s pounding. The feeling sends a rush through her, and she meets his eyes, “There are other things a bed is good for, but I can’t say them in front of a three-year-old.” 

For a moment, Percy’s eyes darken and his arm, which had been resting lazily across her waist, tightens, and Annabeth’s stomach dips. He sits up, dragging her up with him, “I’m finishing it.”

Annabeth laughs, giving him a kiss on the cheek, “That was so much easier than I thought.”

Percy grins, “I’m a 20 year old whose girlfriend just bribed him with,” He pauses, looking over at Estelle, and even though she’s wearing headphones and probably isn’t even paying attention, he hesitates, “with _stuff_. It’s honestly that easy.” 

She gives his shoulder a shove, “Finish the bed, Seaweed Brain.”

“At least give me a kiss for motivation.” He huffs, picking up the box of tools, and Annabeth reaches up to cup his face, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, “Get the bed done and you’ll get more than kiss.”

Hours later, Annabeth and Percy are on their couch and she’s practically on top of him, her head resting on his chest. She can hear his steady heartbeat against her ear and it’s the most comforting sound in the world. His arms are wrapped around her and his finger is tracing circles around a sliver of skin on her back and she doesn’t want to get up, ever. 

“This still feels weird to me.” Percy says softly, and Annabeth shifts her attention from the tv to him, her brows furrowed, “Huh?”

Percy shrugs, “I don’t know– I’ve wanted this for so long and it’s weird.”

Annabeth sits up, her face hovering above his, “Us living together?”

Percy nods once, and his hand moves to tuck a strand of hair behind Annabeth’s ear. “Annabeth, I’ve wanted to move in with you since I was _sixteen._ I didn’t even expect to live past, like eighteen, and yet I did. Didn’t expect to get into college, but I did, and I honestly just– I had low expectations for my future, okay? I honestly thought you’d be bored of me by now, not living with me. I mean, let’s be honest, I did not have the best track record for convincing people to stick around, and you did. And back on Argo II, when I first talked about coming here, I honestly thought I’d scared you off right then and there but you still stuck by me and, I don’t know– it’s… surreal, I guess?”

Annabeth feels her stomach drop, and the back of her eyes sting, “Percy.”

It comes out as a small whisper, but she doesn’t quite know how to formulate a sentence and needs a second to gather her thoughts, “I love you. Gods, I love you. _So_ much. When I first met you, all I remember thinking was that this was the guy from the prophecy– the one that would finally let me get out of this camp. I didn’t think twice about anything else in the prophecy, until I actually got to know you. Then, the only thing I could think was how much I wished it _wasn’t_ about you.” Annabeth pauses, swallowing back tears, “I didn’t want to lose you then, I didn’t want to lose you when we fell into Tartarus, and I definitely, _definitely_ don’t want to lose you now– especially now that we’re free of prophecies and Gods interjecting.”

She presses her forehead against his, and his breath is coming out in pants and she knows hers is just as erratic and messy as his, “I will never, _ever_ get tired of you, and I never, _ever_ want to live without you. When we were picking stuff up in Ikea and I was talking to Sally, she kept making stupid jokes about our future and giving me small nudges and all I could think at that moment is how desperately I wanted to get back to this apartment– to our _home_. And I know this is just a temporary one, but you know that–”

She couldn’t finish the sentence, because Percy’s hand cups her face and his lips are on hers and all she can think is about how needy the kiss is and how she doesn’t even care that he cut her off because Percy Jackson kisses like it’s his job. The hand that’s resting on her hip tightens and she can feel her brain blanking because all she’s focused on is his hand on her skin and the way he tastes like sour gummy worms. When they pull away, Annabeth’s breath comes out in pants and Percy gives her another shorter, sweeter kiss. The coral pendant is dangling from her neck in the air, right above his chest, and Percy uses his hand to curl the chain around his finger, “I love you.”

She gives him a breathless smile, her heart pounding in her chest, “I love you.”

She rests her head back on his chest, and she can feel his heart pounding just as quickly as hers, and there’s something so thrilling about that. To be so in love with a boy that your heart pounds from his touch is an amazing feeling, but to Annabeth, knowing that she also has that influence on Percy is even better than her heart pounding.

  
  
  


Annabeth’s patience is wearing thin and she’s, personally, way too close to an absolute breakdown. She lets out a frustrated groan as she angrily deletes yet another rejection email, using a bit more force than necessary on her trackpad.

“Damn, what did the computer do to you?” Percy jokes as he sits down beside her, a pile of papers and his laptop in his hands. They were only two weeks into the semester, but Percy was also working at a nearby children’s hospital and they’d made him transfer files from actual written documents into their system and he had a tendency to prefer working from home. 

She shoots him a glare, “I got rejected from _another_ firm. This is the third one in a row.”

She’s so frustrated tears spring into her eyes before she can stop them, and Percy’s arms are around her instantly, “Hey, it’s okay.”

“What if–” She takes in a shaky breath, her lower lip trembling, “What if I’m not as good as I think I am? I mean, my fatal flaw is pride, after all, so what if I’m just filling my head with confidence and I’m just extremely average?”

“We know that’s bullshit, Annabeth.” Percy responds instantly, cupping Annabeth’s face to meet her eyes, “You’re so talented. I mean, I know you can’t quite put ‘Architect of Olympus’ on your resume, but they wouldn’t have picked you to do just that if you weren’t talented. You’re smarter than anyone else on this planet and you’re incredible and some manager out there is gonna see that and hire you– it just needs time.”

“I’m just tired of feeling useless.” Annabeth mutters, and Percy stares at her for a moment, an incredulous look on his face, “How are _you_ useless? Wise Girl, you’re managing to keep up a 4.0, you’re a teacher’s assistant for two classes, and you’re applying for internships. I promise you, you’re far from useless. Just because you don’t have a job right at this moment doesn’t mean anything. You’re still trying.”

He places a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment and sending a warmth straight through Annabeth’s body. When he pulls away, Annabeth places her laptop on the coffee table and curls into his chest. “I know you have work but I want to sit here for a moment.”

Her voice is so needy and Percy knows that when she’s in these types of moods, it’s best not to question it. So instead of grabbing his papers, he reaches for the tv remote and leans back, “So, _New Girl_?”

A week later, Annabeth’s sitting on the kitchen counter as Percy flips pancakes. She has a cup of coffee in one hand while the other mindlessly scrolls through her email. They both have late classes and so they’d spend a lazy morning in bed, until Percy decides he wants pancakes and even though he offers her breakfast in bed, Annabeth just wants to watch Percy make pancakes shirtless. 

As she takes another sip of her coffee, she spots the email and chokes on the liquid, spewing it across the kitchen in a fit of coughs. Percy lets out a noise of surprise and stops cooking, turning his attention to her while he rubs her back. Once she manages to calm down, she shoves the phone in his face. “I got an interview! Percy! I got an interview.”

Her eyes are shining and she wants to cry as Percy wraps his arms around her, shouting congratulations to her. She can smell burning pancakes in her nostrils and they’re making her eyes water even more than they already are but Percy kisses her and he’s whispering how proud he is of her and she doesn’t even care about the fact that their pan is getting ruined. 

  
  
  
  


Taking overlapping classes at UC Berkeley meant Annabeth got a taste of the complete mortal college experience, the most important one being parties. Sure, New Rome students threw parties every now and then but they usually had a mix of campers and students and it wasn’t fully college. So when Annabeth’s classmate from Berkeley invited her to her sorority’s party and said she could bring as many plus ones as she could, she wasted no time texting both Piper and Percy and telling them they were going to a party tonight. 

Percy had only slightly complained, seeing as he was working a long shift today, but after a few texts and a Facetime call including Annabeth’s pout, Percy was sold. 

When he gets home from his shift, Piper’s laying on their bed as Annabeth fixes her makeup at her vanity. From the mirror, she sees Percy’s eyes narrow at Piper. “I didn’t invite you over.”

“Too bad, your too-good-for-you girlfriend did.” She responds boredly, picking at her nail polish, and Annabeth has to bite back a laugh and focus on blending out her bronzer. 

“One, I know she’s too good for me, that’s not an insult. And two, I pay rent here, too, I think I have a say.”

“Okay, and? Annabeth’s the primary breadwinner. Her word beats yours by hundreds, dude.” Piper responds, sitting up. She’s twirling a strand of her hair in her fingers and looks bored, and Percy rolls his eyes. 

“Trophy husband, remember?” 

“I still don’t care about your opinion, Jackson. I literally have your spare key.”

“Alright, you know what–”

“If you two don’t shut up I will personally beat the two of you up.” Annabeth interjects, not looking away from the mirror, “Now stay quiet so I can finish my makeup, please?”

“Gods, why can’t I come again?” Piper flops back onto the bed, and from her periphery, she sees Percy grin, “Oh, McLean’s not coming? That makes this so much better.”

“Jackson, I will kick you in–”

“Children!” Annabeth calls, desperately wanting to seem harsh, but amusement sneaks into her voice and she has to bite back a laugh, “I need to do my eyeliner. Pipes, you’re not coming because you have a big test tomorrow. Percy, please shower and get dressed.”

Piper grumbles something under her breath that Annabeth chooses to ignore as she digs out her eyeliner, and as she’s doing so, Percy presses a kiss to her forehead, “You look beautiful, by the way.” 

Annabeth gives him a smile, leaning up to kiss him, “Thank you. Now, come on. I want to get food before we go– I want to drink and I can’t do that on an empty stomach.”

He complies to her request, giving her one last kiss as Piper fake gags behind them before grabbing a towel and heading to the bathroom. Piper stands up, “Alright, let me do your hair real quick– I need to go before I get too tempted and end up tagging along. Gods know Percy does _not_ want to take care of two drunks.”

Although Percy agrees to go to every party and social event Annabeth asks him to, it’s always a different experience for the two of them because while Annabeth gets responsibly drunk, Percy is completely, utterly sober. He spends the nights making sure she’s swapping alcohol for water and holding onto her, all while Annabeth downs shots.

Annabeth finishes up her eyeliner and Piper’s already out their door when Percy’s out of the shower, walking into the bedroom with a towel hanging low on his hips and for a split second Annabeth wants to tell him to ditch the party and stay home. But instead, she just readjusts her hair as he pulls clothes out of his closet and tugs it on. 

“Alright, is this good?” He asks, stepping towards the vanity to grab his cologne, and Annabeth stands up to inspect his outfit. He’s in a loose black shirt tucked into grey plaid pants and there’s a chain hanging from his belt that she loves, and Annabeth already knows he’s gonna wear his white Vans. He’s even bothered to put on a silver chain, and _Gods_ , it’s personally unfair how handsome he looks with minimal effort. She wraps his arms around him as he places the bottle back on the table, “Really good.”

He grins, “You’re beautiful.”

“So you’ve said.” She’s in a denim skirt and a white off the shoulder top, and she’s wearing her white thigh-high socks that Percy claims are the _hottest_ clothing item she owns (she owns three pairs of them, but he doesn’t need to know that she did that for him– it’d feed his ego too much). He leans down and kisses her sweetly, “Come on, let’s go.”

Hours later, after Annabeth and Percy stop at a sushi place and Annabeth’s certain she won’t get wasted, they’re on their way to the sorority. 

“Annabeth, I’d literally bet money that you’re gonna get drunk.” Percy says as Annabeth pulls him towards the door, and she rolls her eyes, “I know my limits.”

“Not really.” He laughs, and Annabeth shoots him a glare before they enter. 

He was right, though, because Annabeth was now three and a half drinks in and absolutely gone. She’s playing beer pong with her classmate, Mia, and Annabeth’s cheeks are flushed as she watches their opponents down shots. 

“Alright, Chase, we have two cups left. We got this.” Mia says into her ear, and Annabeth laughs. “Hell yeah!”

There’s a slur in her words but she doesn’t quite pay attention to that as she picks up the ping pong ball and rubs it between her palms. She and Mia down the balls and when they both land the shots, they jump and hug and the people around them cheer and give her high fives. At some point during the night, she was dragged away from Percy and he waved her off, giving her a kiss on the cheek and telling her to enjoy the party. 

Once the crowd around her dies down, she carefully peels herself away from Mia and goes to hunt down her boyfriend again. There’s a bubble of guilt in her chest because _what kind of girlfriend ditches her sober boyfriend at a party?_ But she knows Percy doesn’t mind. He never does. 

When Annabeth finds him, he’s surrounded by a few familiar faces but one is unfamiliar and she’s way too close to Percy and Annabeth feels her anger flaring in her chest. She practically stomps over and nudges herself between the unnamed girl and Percy, giving her a shove in the process. She shoots her an unapologetic look, “Whoops, sorry.” 

Percy’s watching with an amused expression, and he snakes his arm around her waist, “Having fun?”

She grins, “Won two rounds of beer pong.”

Percy laughs, “My girlfriend’s a beer pong legend. Noted.”

She buries her face in his chest, a wide smile on her face, and Percy’s laugh causes vibrations to run through her body. “Alright, Wise Girl, I think it’s time to go.”

She doesn’t object as he pulls her away from the crowd, and she can hear him calling out good nights to the people he’s grown familiar to. Once they’re on the street and walking, Annabeth lets out a small huff, “These shoes suck. I can’t believe I have to walk home.”

She’s walking alongside Percy when she says this, then pauses, giving his hand a tug. He stops, looking at her, “Yes, Annabeth?”

“Can I get a piggy back ride?” She’s pouting and she can hear the slur in her own voice and she believes Percy will say no, but instead he sits her down on the curb and helps her take off her shoes before perching her on his back. Her shoes are dangling between his fingertips and he starts the trek home. 

Annabeth buries her face between his shoulder blades and lets out a hum, “You always smell good. That’s so unfair.” 

Percy’s laugh is felt against her cheek, “You always smell like vanilla and lemons, and libraries.”

She hums, letting her eyes flutter shut, “You smell like the ocean– You probably knew that, though. I mean, you’re the literal son of Poseidon. That shouldn’t be shocking– wait, shouldn’t I smell like olives?”

Percy’s laugh was echoing through the empty sidewalk, and she felt his head shake, “You’re gonna regret this so bad tomorrow, Wise Girl.”

When they’re back in their apartment, Annabeth immediately curls up on the bed and she lets Percy help her change into pajamas, but honestly all she can manage is putting on one of Percy’s shirts before she passes out. 

She wakes up and stumbles to the bathroom, the feeling of bile building in her throat. She’s puking up all the contents of her stomach seconds later, and she can feel her hair being pulled away from her face. Even though her face is in the toilet bowl, she knows Percy’s sitting beside her, and he’s rubbing her back soothingly as she’s vomiting. Once it subsides, Percy’s carrying her back to bed and all she can do is curl into him and thank any Gods listening for his existence. 

When Annabeth properly wakes up, there’s a bottle of water and two pain killers beside her that she immediately takes. She’s not hungover, but she’d also rather not risk getting a hangover and not taking any precautions. She can hear Percy in the kitchen, and there’s a smell of pancakes in the air as she enters the kitchen and perches herself onto the counter, right beside where Percy’s cooking. 

“How’s my ‘I won’t get wasted’ girlfriend feeling?” Percy asks her teasingly, flipping the pancake on the pan, and Annabeth shoots him a half-energetic glare, “Don’t start with me.”

Percy laughs, “Do you even remember last night?”

“Yes, I do.” She huffs, “I’m not even hungover, don’t be a bully.”

He picks up a plate and hands it to her, and places a kiss to her lips that makes her heart hum, “Would a bully wake up and make you pancakes and coffee?” 

She wraps her arms around his neck as he places the plate next to her, “Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” 

Percy laughs, “A few times, yeah.”

Her cheeks are burning and she has a stupid smile on her lips that won’t go away as she kisses him again, “I love you, Seaweed Brain. Thank you.”

“I love you, too.” He responds, and kisses her forehead before pulling away, “Now eat. You threw up for way too long yesterday.”

Not a lot of people could say that their boyfriend was the type to cook for them or even take care of them, but she was watching Percy make her food with the biggest smile and all she wanted to do was kiss him senseless. 

  
  
  


Annabeth hates crying. She hates the feeling of helplessness that comes with it, the way tears are warm and leave sticky streaks down your face, the way it makes your nose run, and the feeling of absolute emptiness and dehydration you feel afterwards. Mostly, Annabeth hates the fact that she can never hide it from anyone, especially Percy. 

They’re nearing the middle of the semester when Annabeth comes to the conclusion that she hates her job more than words. This day in particular, Annabeth loses it completely. She was hired as an intern in the design department, but as soon as she got there it was a cycle of mistreatment and exhaustion and today, after her manager requested she redo her Starbucks run because a shot of espresso was missing, Annabeth snapped and quit. 

She gets home and she immediately starts bawling, ordering mass amounts of comfort take out and curling into a ball on their couch in Percy’s hoodie. She’s so disappointed, in both herself and her job, and she wants nothing more than to sleep for years. 

When Percy gets home, it’s almost 8 at night and he tosses his bag and keys by the door, a sigh escaping him, “Today was so tiring– Besides the fact that I was forced to redo the entire filing room, they made me– What’s wrong?”

Percy’s on the couch beside her in seconds, still clad in dress pants and a button-up, and Annabeth waves him off, “It’s nothing. What were you saying?”

“Annabeth.” His voice is stern, and her gaze meets his, “Your eyes are red, there’s like, three tissues stuffed in that hoodie pocket, and you look tired. What happened?”

She wants to be out of tears and just casually say she quit, but instead, a new wave of tears overcomes her, “I– I quit my job. It was so horrible, Percy, and they never took me seriously and I was treated like joke but now I have to look for something all over again and no one's gonna hire me and I don’t know what to do–” 

She’s cut off by Percy pressing her into his chest, and she knows his shirt’s gonna get messed up but all she can do is bury herself into him and cry. He’s rubbing his hands through her hair, “Hey– It’s okay. We’re okay. You’ll find something else, something better, and until then, I’m here. _I got you_.”

She sniffles, “What if it takes me the rest of the semester to find a job or something? What if I keep finding jobs I hate?”

Percy uses her shoulders to pull her away from him so she can meet his eyes, and his hands hold onto hers, “Life is trial and error, and guess what? So are jobs. You’re gonna be okay, Annabeth. And plus, I have money saved up. More than you probably think I do– So don’t worry, okay?”

She nods weakly, and Percy gives her a soft kiss, “I’m gonna go make you tea– or cookies, your choice really.”

Annabeth gives him a small, shy look, “Cookies, please?”

He grins, pressing another kiss to her lips, “Alright, come on, Wise Girl.”

She grabs onto his hand before he can fully get up, “I love you.”

He nods once, then gives her hand a squeeze. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ALSO WROTE A WEDDING ONE SHOT THATS A COMPANION PIECE TO THIS NOVELLA PLEASE CHECK OUT 😁‼️  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25168834


	11. Chapter 8, Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNABETH CHASE LOML THIS IS FOR U

**PERCY**

Percy wants to say he’s handling junior year well. He wants to say he’s managing everything perfectly and he’s absolutely thriving– but that’s a lie. He’s stressed every day, and when he’s not working, he’s either in class or working on all his assignments. He’s constantly exhausted and living off coffee and he’s 90% sure his bloodstream is primarily Monster energy drinks, but he’s kept a 3.0 GPA for two years and he can’t let it slip. The part of him that’s still hung up on his old bullies from middle school rings in his head everytime he gets a bad grade, and he can’t let them stick when he graduates. So instead, he studies.

It’s almost three in the morning during midterms week, and Percy’s still up. The coffee table is littered with papers and an opened textbook and half-made flash cards, and his eyes are blood-shot as he skims through another practice test on his laptop. His hair sticking up messily from the amount of times he’s run his fingers through it and his hands are shaky from both the four cups of coffee he had today and the nerves from his test tomorrow. He’s absolutely drained, but he has to push through. 

His back is against the couch and he’s sitting on the floor, his legs outstretched under the coffee table. As he’s picking up a pile of notes off the table, he feels a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders and a kiss onto his neck, “What are you still doing up?”

Annabeth’s voice is so sleep-filled, and her head’s on his shoulder. He lets out a small sigh, but a smile forms on his lips, “I have a midterm in the morning.”

He feels her hair against the back of his neck as she presses another kiss onto his neck, “Not sleeping and cramming for it won’t miraculously help you memorize the material. Come to bed.”

“Not yet, I need to–”

“Percy, your class is at 12:30, right? We’ll wake up at 9:30 and I’ll make breakfast and we can study then. Just… come to bed.”

Her voice is low in his ear and she’s kissing his neck again, and Percy lets out a low groan, “If you don’t stop–"

She presses another kiss to his neck, this time in the spot she knows drives Percy crazy, “Bed, please?”

He lets out a sigh, “Fine.”

“Good, now carry me.” She responds, and Percy laughs and gets off the floor before lifting Annabeth into his arms and walking towards the bedroom. He places her down then climbs in beside her, and once he’s settled against his pillow, Annabeth’s head is on his chest. 

“You’re gonna do great.” She whispers, and Percy feels a flutter in his chest. He kisses her hair, “Good night, Wise Girl.”

The next day, Percy gets home from his final and Annabeth’s already home, and she’s curled up on the couch with her laptop propped on her lap and a mug in her hands. 

When she spots him, a smile breaks onto her lips. “How was your midterm?”

He lets out a groan and collapses onto the sofa, and Annabeth lets out a laugh as he pushes aside her laptop to place his head in her lap. “I’m so tired.”

Annabeth’s fingers are in his hair almost instinctively, and a wave of comfort passes through him. “How did you do?”

He shrugs, and he shifts his head so he can look up at Annabeth, “Okay, I guess. It was just so long.”

She leans down and presses a kiss to his lips. It’s short and sweet but it still leaves Percy’s head spinning. “Well, you’re free at least.”

He groans, “I still have another midterm on Monday, but for the next day and a half, I’m not picking up a textbook.” 

Annabeth laughs, and he feels it against his cheek, “Frank and Hazel are having a movie night and everyone’s coming– You down?”

“If Thalia’s there I want an arm wrestling rematch.” He grumbles, and Annabeth laughs again, “Yeah, she’s there.”

He sits up, shifting his head so he can rest it on her shoulder. He grabs onto her hand and intertwines it, pressing their palms together. Ever since they were 12, Percy’s hands have _always_ fit perfectly in Annabeth’s. He wasn’t someone who believed in soulmates or being fated to belong to someone, but the way Percy and Annabeth fit perfectly together sometimes sold him on the idea. “What time do we have to be there?”

Annabeth checks her phone, letting out a small hum, “In, like, three hours. Why?”

He changes his seating position, pulling Annabeth into his lap, her knees on either side of him. She raises an eyebrow, “So _this_ is why.”

He brushes his lips to hers, “I missed you, Wise Girl.”

He can feel her smile against him, and her arms easily find their way around his neck, “Missed you, too, Seaweed Brain.”

And he kisses her, and suddenly all the stress that was going through his body is gone, because she’s pressed against him and her lips are on his and he’s taking her in.

  
  
  


When Annabeth’s alarm goes off on one of Percy’s off days, a groan escapes his lips and he waits impatiently for Annabeth to turn it off. He opens eyes and Annabeth’s back on the mattress, her head resting on her pillow inches away. He lazily grabs her hand, “Do you _have_ to go to work?”

She rolls her eyes, and presses a sleepy kiss to his cheek, “Yes, Seaweed Brain. Just because you were blessed with a day off in the middle of the week doesn’t mean I am, too.”

During the years where Percy’s started spending nights with Annabeth, he’s grown to love her voice in the mornings. It’s low, raspy, and so unlike her it turns his brain to mush when she speaks. His favorite thing is when she says his name, muffled into his chest or into her pillow and he has to stop himself from kissing her endlessly.

“Mm, call in sick.” He responds, and his hands find her waist and tug her into him. She’s buried in his chest, and even though she should get up, Percy’s heart flutters in his chest when she entangles their legs, “I’ve only been working there for two weeks, that’s not a good first impression.”

“You work hard, they’ll understand.” He responds easily, pressing a kiss to her hair, and Annabeth laughs against his bare skin, “Come on, Percy, I need to go.”

He lets out a string of complaints as Annabeth detaches herself from him, and his arm rests on her side of the bed. There’s a small pout on his lips, “You’re no fun.”

She just rolls her eyes, and stands up. She’s still facing him as she lifts her hands to tie her hair into a bun on the top of her head, and Percy can’t help but stare. Ever since they’d moved in together, Annabeth’s choice pajamas had become Percy’s shirts. _Just_ his shirts. Now, Percy would like to think of himself as someone with a lot of self restraint. He manages to not let his anger get to him, except when it benefits him, and when he fights, he knows where to stop. He knows his limits whenever he’s out in public, and he knows when to bite his tongue.

But Annabeth Chase standing in one of his shirts, with the neckline loose on her shoulders and the hem landing in mid-thigh really _was_ a test of his restraint. And with her hands high so she can secure her hair, the shirt only rode up more and Percy’s eyes found themselves fixated on her and the way she was _breathtaking_. 

“Why are you staring at me?” Annabeth asks, crossing her arms over her chest, and Percy shakes his head. There’s a barely there smile on his lips, and the way Annabeth’s brows are furrowed makes him want to kiss her, “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

The way a blush dusts her cheeks sends a rush through his body, and she lets out a low groan, “You can’t say things like that.”

“Why not?” He demands, and she leans over him, her lips hovering right above his, “It makes it impossible for me to leave.”

He grins, “Then stay.”

His hands grab her hips and pull her back into the bed, and he’s positioned the two of them so he’s hovering over her. She looks like she’s about to object, and his lips find her neck, “Call out, Wise Girl.”

He knows she wants to argue, but once he finds the spot on her neck that always drives her insane, her hands are in his hair and she sighs, “Percy…”

His lips trail to the corner of her mouth, “Come on.”

“How am I supposed to say no when we’re like this?” She says, and there’s a smile on Percy’s lips, “Care to elaborate?”

His lips are on her neck again, and another small noise escapes Annabeth, one that sends a flurry of butterflies into his chest, “You’re shirtless, on top of me, and–” She sighs, “You’re kissing me.” 

He buries her smile into her shoulder, “I take it you’re calling out?”

She doesn’t respond, but as he kisses her collarbone, he hears her phone unlock and typing. She lets out a small sigh, then he hears her phone being placed back onto the nightstand. Once her hands are free, they’re around her neck and he’s pulled back up, so their eyes meet. “You won.”

He grins, “I’m a terrible influence.”

She flips the two of them, straddling Percy as her hands rest on his chest. Underneath her fingertips, his heart’s pounding, and the way she looks right now is going to send him into cardiac arrest. She kisses his jaw, “You’re absolutely the _worst_.” 

Her voice is a low mutter against his skin, and Percy groans, his hands finding her thighs and gripping tight. “Gods, if I woke up to this every day, I wouldn’t complain. I’d literally forgive them for the two wars. We can forgive everything.”

Annabeth laughs into his collarbone, and the feeling goes straight to his heart. She looks at him, her eyes meeting his. They’re a bright gray, and her cheeks are flushed and in Percy’s eyes, she’s a literal fucking goddess. And he thinks he has the jurisdiction to pass that judgement, especially considering he’s met them. 

When she kisses him, he feels like he’s in heaven. “I’m that great?” 

It’s muffled against his lips, and Percy nods, “You really are.”

She runs her hands down his chest, and when her lips reattach to his collarbone, he lets out a low groan, his voice raspy, “You’re gonna _kill_ me, Annabeth.”

“Is that a bad way to go out?” 

He lifts her head using a hand on her jaw, and their eyes meet again, “It’s the best way to go out.”

And they’re kissing again, with the only thought running through Percy’s head is how glad he is that she called out. 

Hours later, they’re in the kitchen, and Annabeth’s sitting on the counter while Percy makes them breakfast. “You know,” He says, his voice playful, “I’m getting really tired of you just sitting here while I cook.”

Annabeth grins, popping another strawberry into her mouth, “I’m quality entertainment.” 

“More like a distraction.” Percy mutters, and Annabeth laughs. Her hand reaches out and holds onto his, pulling him to her. He doesn’t complain, especially not as Annabeth’s arms go around his neck. “Do you want me to leave?” 

He shakes his head, “Never.”

She kisses him, and Percy ignores the fact that the stove’s on as he kisses her back, his hand dropping the spatula he was holding to grip her hips. A noise escapes her lips into the kiss as he squeezes her, and a rush of satisfaction runs through his body. 

They ruined another pan that morning and Percy just rolled his eyes when Annabeth whined about it. He knew her words held no actual complaints, especially when he kissed her and said he’d buy 10 more pans as long as she keeps kissing him and she’s smiling. 

  
  
  


When the spring semester starts up again, Percy and Annabeth are even worse than they were in fall. They were only able to spend about two weeks out of their entire winter break in New York, and that in itself was enough to irritate them to no extent. Although Percy was taking minimal classes and had two free days during the week, he filled those with shifts at work and studying endlessly. Most nights, Annabeth and Percy didn’t even fall asleep at the same time, and it was straining. The last time they’d had a full length conversation was maybe three days ago and Percy was losing it. 

After an exhausting shift, all Percy wants to do is crash. He enters the apartment and immediately falls onto the couch beside Annabeth, who’s working on a few sketches. “I’m gonna die this year.”

He says it so monotone, and Annabeth rolls her eyes. She pokes his side, “Rough day?”

“I just don’t know how these doctors think that they’re not obligated to keep track of patient files. Isn’t that part of their job?” Percy complains, then takes in a deep breath, “Anyway, I’m tired of them. How was your day?”

She shrugs, and Percy watches her shade for a moment, “My professor’s being a bitch, the usual.” 

Percy grins, and he presses a kiss to her cheek. “Sorry for not being around. I’m trying.”

She hums in response, but doesn’t look up from what she’s doing. Percy’s eyes narrow, “Did I do something wrong?”

“Huh? No.” She pauses, and meets his eyes, “I’m just distracted.” 

She presses a kiss to his lips, but it’s barely there and Percy knows she’s upset. “I’m gonna go to bed. We still have leftovers from yesterday in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

He nods, not wanting to start an argument this late at night. “Good night, I’ll come to bed in a bit.”

She gives his hand a small squeeze in response, and Percy sighs, “I love you.”

He tries to ignore the way she doesn’t say it back, but the thought lingers even as he gets up for bed. Annabeth’s curled up into herself, and Percy sighs. He knows she’s upset, he’s grown to know how to read her after knowing her for as long as he has, but he can’t quite figure out why. He assumes it’s because of their distance, but that’s not even completely his fault.

The next morning, as Annabeth’s making coffee, Percy bites the bullet and asks. “Are we okay?”

She looks up from her phone, “Yeah, why?”

“You seem…” He hesitates, “Distant.” 

Her eyes darken immediately, and Percy knows an argument is about to ensue. “I’m not the distant one.”

“Here we go.” Percy mutters, the words leaving his lips before he can filter himself. He hopes Annabeth doesn’t hear, but she places her phone onto the counter with more force than necessary, “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing.” He waves off, attempting to keep his anger level and his voice nonchalant, and Annabeth’s eyes narrow, “No, say it.”

Percy sighs. Annabeth’s itching for an argument, and even though he doesn’t want to feed into it, he responds, “You just– You always do this. We get busy, we can’t spend time together, and your instinct is to get mad at me. Annabeth, you haven’t been home either. You haven’t been responding to my texts either.”

“I’m sorry, are you really gonna say I always do this?” Annabeth’s angry, but she’s keeping her voice low. Percy doesn’t know if he prefers that over her yelling. “I’m not the one who picks up shifts randomly or who doesn’t bother sharing their schedule whatsoever. I do try, Percy. You just don’t notice.”

“Are you really gonna say that when I’m the one who’s tried to plan more than four dinners this week only for you to shut down each one? If I’m coming home late, I try to make up for it. I make you breakfast, I skip a lecture or a study session so I can spend the day with you. I text you, almost nonstop, to make up for it.” He pauses, taking in a shaky breath. He’s angry, yeah, but he’s more hurt than anything, “How is that not effort?”

She’s still glaring at him, “It’s not the same, Percy. You invest yourself into classes and work and you just don’t invest in us. It’s the same thing, every year, and it’s exhausting. If you don’t want to admit that, just go.”

Percy’s stomach drops, and a cold laugh escapes him before he can stop it, “You know what? Fine.” He picks up his mug and drops it in the sink, then meet’s Annabeth’s eyes angrily, “I’ll go.” 

Annabeth looks taken back, and for a moment, a look of regret flashes in her eyes, but Percy’s already grabbing his bag off the counter. “Wait, Percy–”

“Don’t bother.” He mutters, and he’s out of the door just as he hears Annabeth sniffle. He hesitates for a moment, stuck at the door of their apartment. He knows Annabeth’s in there crying and that thought is enough to make him want to run back inside and hold her. But his phone buzzes in his pocket with his alarm for work, so he squares his shoulders and heads out.

He feels terrible throughout the entirety of his shift and his attention’s only half in it. The other half is in his apartment in New Rome, where Annabeth probably is. He knows her, and even though she has a class later today, he knows she won’t go. He would bet money on the fact that she’s probably still at home, on the couch, doing nothing. Well, she’d actually be watching her comfort movie and maybe _How I Met Your Mother_ , because it’s her go-to show, but she wouldn’t be paying attention. When she’s upset, she lets them play as background noise because she once told Percy that having them playing dulls out her thoughts. And she hates being alone with her thoughts when she’s sad. 

When he gets out of work, there’s a kick of anxiety in his chest as he enters the apartment. The tenseness from their argument in the morning is still there, and Percy hears shuffling in the kitchen, which tells him Annabeth’s home. He enters with a bit of hesitance, “I can go, if you want– I just need clothes.”

Annabeth turns to him, “No– stay.” There’s an unspoken _please_ in the air, or at least Percy likes to hope there is. She’s chopping up vegetables, and Percy leans against the wall, “You don’t like cooking. Why are you cooking?”

She sniffs, “I’m not good at cooking. I don’t dislike it, there’s a difference.”

Despite the fact that he’s upset with her, he rolls his eyes, “Okay, whatever, why are you cooking?”

She shrugs, “Because I’m hungry.”

“You order takeout when you’re hungry. You literally have all of the food delivery apps on your phone.”

“Can you stop?” She snaps, lifting her gaze off the cutting board to meet his eyes. They’re shining with tears, and she takes in a shaky breath, “I don’t need you to grill me right now.”

He takes a few steps towards her, and removes the knife from her hand, “Let me.” 

“No, I need to do this.” She sniffles, and Percy shakes his head, “Annabeth, I think I can cook for us.” 

“Percy, I said I’d do it my– _ow_!” Neither of them realize Annabeth’s arm is so close to the pot on the stove, and she grips her forearm in her hands. 

“Gods, Annabeth–” Percy lets out a string of curses as he drops the knife and turns off the stove, while Annabeth’s cupping her burnt forearm in her hand, and there are unshed tears in her eyes but she’s biting her lip to hold them back. 

Percy lifts her onto the counter before grabbing their first aid kit off the top of their fridge. “Let me see.”

“It’s fine.” She cuts, and Percy gives her a pointed glare, “ _Annabeth_.” 

She holds out her wrist, and Percy hisses. He thought she’d just tapped the edge of the pot, but there was an already-blistering burn on her forearm. He opens up the first aid kit and pulls out an ointment and a gauze wrap. “Why were you cooking, Annabeth?”

“Because I’m 20 and should be allowed to.” She responds, completely guarded, and Percy wants to yell as he’s applying the ointment to her arm. Her body is stiff and Percy knows it probably hurts, but she’s rigid. 

“ _Gods_ , can you cut it out? What’s wrong?” Percy’s so defeated, and he doesn’t even realize Annabeth’s crying till a sniffle escapes her. 

“I’m trying to cook because I rely so heavily on you, and based on my track record of acting up, I can’t expect you to cook for me all the time– I _can’t_ expect you to be there all the time.” Her voice is low, and it’s so pain-filled Percy stops. His hands drop hers and he cups her face, “Why would you think that?”

She shrugs, and her gaze is everywhere but his eyes. There are tears streaming down her face, and Percy uses his thumbs to wipe them away, “Why do you think? I’m– I’ve been frustrating and demanding and I project everything onto you and you shouldn’t have to deal with that.” 

She swallows, “You shouldn’t have to deal with _me._ ”

The quiet, brokenness in her voice causes Percy’s heart to all but shatter in his chest, “No, Annabeth– _No_.”

He emphasizes the last word, and they lock eyes, “I love you. Hell, I want to marry you. You think I don’t know that you’re gonna have off days? Days where you get angry? I don’t care that you project, because I love you and I know you’re going through a lot and I’d rather you project and talk it through than bottle it.”

He takes a breath, “I am never, ever leaving you. Never getting separated again, remember?”

At those words, her face softens. Then she’s kissing him, her hands gripping his shirt and she’s kissing him with so much need and desperation. Percy’s kissing her with equally as much enthusiasm, and even though his touch on her face is gentle, his hold has her stuck in place. 

“I love you.” He mumbles in between kisses, his voice a breathless pant, and Annabeth’s hands are entangled in his hair, “I love you.” She breathes out. 

They stay like that for a moment, completely entangled in each other. They kiss till their lips are both swollen and puffy and they’re breathless. When they finally part, Annabeth’s forehead is pressed against his and their pants are falling into pace with each other. 

“So,” Annabeth says, swallowing to catch her breath, “Dinner?”

Percy grins, “Coming up, Wise Girl.” 

She gives him a smile that causes his heart to practically burst, and even though all he wants is to kiss her again, he disentangles from her so he can cook. 


	12. Chapter 9, Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4.3k hits thank u soso much!!  
> this is one of my fave chapters please enjoy!

**ANNABETH**

Annabeth can’t wait to get home. She’s sweaty, drained, and her blouse is sticking to her back like second skin. She feels physically and emotionally drained from the day of classes and work, and she just wants to get back to Percy. 

Annabeth always knew Percy had a domestic side to him, but ever since they’d moved in together, she’d seen it come out in full effect. Not that she was complaining, though. She loved everything about it: coming home to his cooking, early mornings where he’d let her sleep in and he’d clean the apartment up, days where all they did was lounge around and do absolutely nothing. All in all, Percy Jackson was the best boyfriend in the world, in her personal opinion.

When she steps into the apartment, she immediately slips off her painfully annoying sandals and drops her bag on the floor. She can hear Percy singing in the kitchen, and her heart leaps in her chest as she makes her way to him. 

His back is to her, and he’s singing along to the music blasting loudly from his phone. Annabeth makes her way to him, her arms going around his abdomen and she buries her head between his shoulder blades, taking in a deep breath, “You smell good.”

“I just showered, thanks.” He responds, and his words vibrate through her. She lifts her head as he turns, pressing a kiss to her lips, “Welcome home.”

The words send a flurry of butterflies through her, and she smiles, “Hi.”

She releases him and props herself up on the counter, still clad in her white blouse and plaid skirt, and picks up a cherry tomato. “Didn’t you have a late shift today?”

Percy shrugs, dumping a box of spaghetti noodles into a pot of boiling water, “I asked to leave early. I wanted you to come home and I was already done with dinner, but I guess I procrastinated a bit _too_ much.”

Annabeth’s heart fluttered in her chest, and she grabbed Percy’s hand to tug her to him. He stood between her legs, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You were gonna surprise me with dinner?”

He nods, resting his hands on her hips, “Mhm. We haven’t been on a date in a while and I figured it’d be nice.” 

“You’re the best, you know that?” She says, softly, and her heart’s hammering in her chest. Percy gives her a smile, the dimple she loved appearing on his cheek, “I try.”

He gives her a short kiss, “Go change and everything, the food will be done by the time you get out.”

She gives him another kiss, “Have I ever told you I love this side of you?”

“What side?” He asks, and Annabeth rolls her eyes, “Your domestic side. It’s cute.”

“Really?” He’s smiling again, and Annabeth kisses his cheek, “Really.”

“Well, good, because I’m planning on being very, very domestic for the next few years.” He responds, and he’s kissing her again. Annabeth lets out a sigh against his lips as she pulls him closer, tangling her legs around his waist. She could honestly write a five-page paper on how amazing a kisser Percy Jackson is, and as his lips trail down her neck, she could picture the introduction in her head. Her head falls back against the cabinet behind her as he works her skin, and her fingers find his hair. Annabeth knows the pasta’s probably gonna burn, but she doesn’t even care right now. She’s in bliss. 

Eventually, they pull away, and Percy gives her a small nudge, “Go, stop distracting me.”

Annabeth shoots him an incredulous look, “You kissed me!” 

“You looked kissable.” He responds easily, and Annabeth rolls her eyes, but hops off the counter and heads off to change anyway. She hadn’t wanted to leave, she would have much rather remained entangled in his arms and ignored the fact that the pasta water was boiling over, but they’d already ruined two pans in the span of a year and Annabeth didn’t know how many more her bank account could handle. So instead, she changes into comfy clothes and heads back to the kitchen, helping Percy cook and avoiding kissing him, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop if she did. 

  
  
  


Whenever Annabeth hung out with her mortal friends, a discussion about their significant others would come up. Annabeth, of course, was their choice to scrutinize, seeing as she was the one in the group who happened to be in the longest relationship, and for some reason, Percy was an absolute fascination to all of them. Today, in particular, they’d decided to talk about various things they’ve done for their boyfriends, and Annabeth couldn’t believe her brain blanked completely.

Over the years, she’d done little things here and there for Percy, but she’d never pulled a big-ish gesture. Percy was always the one who planned the cute dates, the dinners, the anniversaries– The most Annabeth had done was last year’s Valentine’s Day, when she took him on a picnic she’d planned and found a drive-in theater for the two of them. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to, it’s just that Percy got a sense of personal satisfaction from doing it and she didn’t object. 

When she gets home that day from her classes at UC Berkeley, Percy’s watching a movie and there are a bunch of papers in front of him. Annabeth sits down next to him, “You’re the _worst_ boyfriend ever, you know that?”

Percy’s face falls, and Annabeth instantly feels bad for starting with that sentence, “What? Why?”

“You just– _ugh_!” She grabs a throw pillow and buries her face in it, letting out a frustrated noise before lifting her head, “Today we were talking about cute things we’ve done in our relationships and I realized I’ve done no things for you. You never let me plan dates, you always do big romantic gestures and that I can’t top, and you’re just– What kind of boyfriend does that?” 

Percy’s laughing at her words, and she shoots him a glare, “I hate you.”

She tosses the throw pillow at him and he catches it with ease, a smile etched on his lips, “When you say I’m the worst, I expect to be yelled at for something serious, not for being too romantic.” 

“This is serious.” She huffs, and there’s a small pout on her lips. Percy pokes her cheek, “You’re cute.”

“Percy!”

“What?” He laughs, and he grabs her and pulls her into his lap, “What do you want me to say? ‘Sorry, I won’t be romantic ever again’?”

She pauses for a moment, “Maybe.”

“That’s unrealistic.” He huffs, but there’s a smile on his lips regardless, “Annabeth, I do it because I love you and I want to show you I love you. I don’t ask for it in return because I like seeing your face light up when I do things for you. I don’t need you to do it in return, I mean, if you want to I won’t complain, but I don’t expect it.”

“See? This is why you’re the worst!” 

“Annabeth!” Percy laughs, and she hits his chest, lightly, “You need to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” 

“Being romantic! Being forgiving! You always give these really romantic, cute speeches and I’m left looking like an idiot who can only say she loves you and it’s unfair.” With every word, she gives a small shove to his chest, and underneath her fingertips his heart’s pounding. “I want to give you that, too.”

“I don’t need it, though.” He says, softly, and he presses a kiss to her lips, “You’re enough.”

“Yes, but you deserve it.” Her voice comes out almost as a whisper, “You _deserve_ cute gestures and hugs and random dates and big speeches so please, please, let me start doing them, too?” 

He hums, “Okay, Wise Girl. I’ll try to let you plan things more.” 

She beams, “Good. Because I love you, and you’ve done so much for me and you mean the world to me and I just want to show you that you mean so much to me. I’ve done a crap job of showing it sometimes but I’m done with that– You’re _everything_ to me, Percy, and you deserve the same love you give me.”

Percy’s eyes are shining as he kisses her, his hands finding her waist and holding onto her tightly. She’s kissing him back, her hands around his neck tightening and the kiss is passionate, hard, and Annabeth’s heart’s pounding heavily in her chest as she gives into the kiss. Her body’s practically putty in his hands, but that’s always been how she kisses Percy: She absolutely falls apart into him. He’s fully aware of it, too, because whenever their kisses deepen into more than chaste pecks, his arms are tight around her and he’s holding her in the perfect position. Their kiss is filled with Annabeth’s small gasps and his hands are brushing a bare sliver of her skin and she’s a mess when they part. Their breaths are mangled pants mixing together and her heart feels like it’s seconds from bursting out of her ribcage. 

He presses a quick, softer kiss to her lips, “I love you.”

She grins, “I love you, too.” 

  
  
  


When Percy got Annabeth yellow roller skates for Christmas, he hadn’t expected her to use them as often as she did, but she loved them. They were a gag gift– something he stumbled across at a thrift store and they happened to be her size, so he got them. He wholeheartedly believed they would be shoved into the back of their closet and forgotten, but she uses them just as much as he uses his skateboard. During the spring semester, Annabeth and Percy spent their free days at skateparks and Piper found it completely _revolting_ how they’d skate together. Annabeth, on the other hand, found it cute. She was a hopeless romantic and on days like those, she and Percy looked like an average college couple– not one that fought two wars and had skin littered in scars.

Currently, the two of them are in Central Park with Estelle. The two of them really only had about three weeks of vacation before they both got busy with summer jobs, and Estelle made it her mission to force them to spend more than half their time with her. Annabeth is skating circles around Percy, who is on his skateboard with Estelle standing in front of him. She knows that it’s unsafe and that if Sally knew Percy was putting his three-year-old sister on a skateboard he’d get yelled at, but Estelle is laughing regardless, her hands gripping Percy’s.

“Okay, Stel, can we take a break?” Percy sighs, bringing himself to a stop, and Annabeth paused beside them. Estelle shakes her head, and Annabeth can see her knuckles going white as she holds onto Percy’s hands tighter, “One more round, please.”

Percy rolls his eyes, and Annabeth gives him a small nudge, “Come on, you baby. I’ll get us all ice cream.”

“You do too much for her.” Percy responds, but they start moving anyway, and Annabeth laughs, “That’s why she likes me more.”

“I still find that completely unfair.” 

“The ice cream truck is right there, and shut up.”

Fifteen minutes later, they’re all sitting under a tree and Estelle’s leaning against Annabeth, devouring a sprinkle covered vanilla ice cream cone. Every so often she’ll wipe at the girl’s mouth and steal bites of ice cream from her shared bowl with Percy. 

“Gods, Estelle, you’re covered in sprinkles.” Annabeth says, and Percy laughs, “Don’t even bother. She’s gonna be a sticky mess till we get home.”

“Sally’s gonna kill us.” Annabeth responds, and Estelle nods her head, her pigtails coming loose, “I wasn’t supposed to eat ice cream, you guys broke a rule.”

“I’ll give you five bucks to keep it between us.” 

“ _Percy_!” 

“Deal.” Estelle ignores Annabeth’s interruption, and she watches Percy shake hands with his little sister then meets Annabeth’s eyes, “What?”

“You can’t tell your little sister to hide secrets from your mom.” She says, pointedly, and Percy rolls his eyes, taking a bite of ice cream, “Mom has too many weird rules. Let the girl live.”

Estelle shifts, leaning into Percy’s side, “This is why you're my favorite.”

“Annabeth was your favorite up until three minutes ago.” 

The younger girl shrugs, placing her used wad of tissues onto the ground as she swallows the last of her ice cream, “You’re funner.”

She has a smile on her face as she settles onto Percy’s chest, and his arm wraps around her, “You let her break one rule and suddenly you’re her favorite. Why didn’t I let her break rules earlier?”

“Percy!” Annabeth gives his knee a shove, and while he’s laughing, Estelle gives the two of them a smile, “Can we break the no iPad after 6 rule? That one’s annoying.”

Percy gives her a small pinch on her side, and she jumps away, “Hey!”

“You know mom is never gonna break that rule!” Percy responds, and Estelle rolls her eyes and returns to Annabeth, “You’re not my favorite anymore, Annabeth is again.” 

“You’re evil!” Annabeth says, gripping Estelle and laying her onto the grass. A laugh escapes the younger girl as Annabeth tickles her sides, “I’m only your favorite when you want something, huh?”

“No!” She responds between laughs, and Annabeth can see tufts of grass sticking in her dark hair and she laughs. Estelle manages to slip out of Annabeth’s grip and Annabeth gets up, holding onto the girl. 

She still has her skates on as she holds her around her middle and spins her in a circle, and Estelle’s legs are flying out and her breath comes out in pants between fits of giggles. Annabeth pauses, taking in a breath, and meets Percy’s eyes. He’s watching with an expression that makes Annabeth’s heart flutter in her chest. 

He shoots her a smile, leaning back on his hands, and mouths, “ _I love you_.”

Annabeth grins, her cheeks burning, and mouths back, “ _I love you, too_.”

Hours later, they’re laying in Percy’s childhood bedroom and he’s playing with her hand as an episode of _The Good Place_ plays on Percy’s laptop. 

He presses their palms together, “Estelle loves you.”

She looks up from the laptop, meeting his eyes, “So I’ve been told.”

He shakes his head, sitting up, “No, like– you’re really good with kids.” 

Her cheeks burn slightly at those words, and she gives his hand a small squeeze, “Thank you. So are you.”

His head is hovering above hers, and when he speaks, his voice comes out low, “You might hate me for this, but whenever you play with Estelle or we’re babysitting her, my brain immediately pictures you with kids– our kids.” 

His cheeks are pink and the tips of his ears are a dark red, and once he says those words, there’s an eruption of butterflies in Annabeth’s chest. “Really?”

He nods once, and he places a small kiss to her jaw, “I know we never even talked about that, or even if we’d get married or have kids or whatever, but my brain does it before I can properly think it through.”

A hum escapes Annabeth’s lips, and the way Percy’s speaking is making her heart pound. Percy was one of the few guys she’s ever met who can mentally plan futures and not be absolutely terrified. He’ll throw around words about them living together, getting married, and even having children so casually and everytime he does, Annabeth’s heart goes into overdrive. 

She flips the two of them over, resting her hands on Percy’s chest to prop herself up, “What does your brain imagine?”

“Really?” Percy asks, and Annabeth nods, her eyes boring into his, “I’m curious.”

He shrugs, and he looks a little embarrassed which is completely endearing to Annabeth, “I don’t know– It changes every time. Sometimes it’s a girl and sometimes I see a boy and they’re a mix of the two of us and it gets me thinking.”

Annabeth hums, “So, we want two kids?”

Percy stares at her for a moment, and an expression crosses his face that Annabeth’s never seen before. His lips form a smile, “I’m all for more, but it’s your body.”

She’s silent for a moment, debating the next sentence in her head, but then speaks, “I kind of… want to adopt? I mean, I do want to have kids that are from us but I also grew up and met so many young campers that had terrible home lives and Grover’s told me about young demigods growing up parentless and I just– I want to help them. Is that weird?”

Percy’s eyes are shining as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, shaking his head against the pillow, “Not at all. I’m going into social work to literally help kids, and I would love to adopt.” 

Annabeth’s heart is pounding in her chest as Percy lifts his head to give her a small kiss, “Three kids?”

“Four.” Annabeth responds against his lips, and Annabeth can feel his smile against her, “Whatever you say, Wise Girl.”

  
  
  


Being back at Camp Half-Blood after not being there for an entire year felt somewhat surreal. It’s not that anything had changed, really, but the energy was different. Whenever Percy and Annabeth visited, they were treated as if they were something of fiction– Newer campers stared at them with wide eyes and she could hear whispers about the two of them. To campers, Percy and Annabeth were legends: Survivors of two wars, the Savior and the Architect of Olympus, and overall, the two of them were idolized. New campers would approach Annabeth for tips on battle strategy and for stories of quests and Percy was dragged away for sword fighting classes. 

Neither of them minded, though. It was comfortable and it gave them time to reunite with their roots.

It’s nearing one in the morning when Annabeth throws on her Yankees cap and sneaks out of the Athena cabin. They only had plans to stay at camp for a week and a half, and Annabeth wants to spend nights with her half-siblings, but if she was being honest, she preferred Percy’s arms to the flimsy duvet in her bunk. 

She enters the Poseidon cabin as quietly as possible and immediately slips the cap off and places it on a table near the door. Percy’s sound asleep on his bunk, blanket draped low on his hips. He’s not wearing a shirt and she can see his shoulders rise and fall with every breath, and he looks so comfortable Annabeth hesitates for a moment. After contemplating whether to go back to cabin 6 or not, Annabeth bites the bullet and walks over to the bed. She moves a hair out of his face gently, pressing a ghost of a kiss to his cheek. He shifts, but his eyes remain closed, “Annabeth?”

Despite the fact that he can’t see her, she gives him a small smile, “Yeah, it’s me. Scoot.”

He opens his eyes, and they’re a bright green in the stark darkness of the cabin. He readjusts his position, leaving room for Annabeth to climb in beside him. Once she’s settled, his arms wrap around her, “Couldn’t sleep?”

She shrugs, reaching down and holding onto his hands. His head’s resting in the crook of her neck, and she’s instantly comforted, “It’s not that– I just, I needed you.”

She feels his smile against her skin, and he places a weak kiss to her neck, “I’m never going anywhere, Wise Girl.”

She buries herself further into him. After all that Percy and Annabeth had been through together, those words were enough to give her all the comfort in the world. Before they fell into Tartarus, Percy had told her that they were together. To anyone else, those words would have seemed so empty, but to Annabeth, they meant everything. And now, everytime Annabeth felt like collapsing, Percy would remind her that he was there– that they had each other. Whether it be through words or through just holding her closer, he always did tell her. And she loved him more than words for that. 

The next day, later in the night when most younger campers went to bed, Percy and Annabeth are at the campfire with a bunch of the older campers, the ones who’d experienced it all with them– Piper, Leo, Nico, Will, Clarisse, the Stolls, and a few others. It’s quiet, but it’s nice to have the company of those Annabeth grew up with and experienced the hardships with. 

“Do you ever think these campers have it easier?” Annabeth blurts out, breaking the comfortable silence in the air. Only after the words leave her does she realize how harsh they were, and immediately attempts to retract, “Not like that! I mean, that sounds bad. I meant, like, we went through _so_ much. Some of us went through two wars, some of us just one, but overall– we’re scarred. They’re not, and there’s no great prophecy haunting them.” 

Piper’s staring off into the water, and her voice comes out low against the sound of the waves, “They didn’t lose anyone.”

“Yeah.” Annabeth gets hit with a wave of regret once those words leave Piper. She hadn’t meant for the question to actually come out, and now that it was, she was certain everyone around her was thinking of those that were lost. Even in the dark, she could see how some of the people around her tensed up.

“I don’t think it’s fair for us to say they have it easier.” Will says, softly, and his hand is entangled in Nico’s. “I mean, they didn’t have to deal with the wars, yeah, but that should be something we’re _happy_ about, especially considering we’re the counselors– the leaders.” 

“This camp has been so through much.” Clarisse, who’s away for college most of the time and manages a visit at least once a year, speaks up, “I’m just glad it’s settled down– that it’s back to being a safe haven.”

“It’s home.” Percy says from beside Annabeth, and his hand gives hers a small squeeze, “And if I’m being honest, if the Gods ask for another favor, I’m saying no.”

Annabeth gives him a shove, “Don’t tempt them.”

Percy looks up to the sky, “You heard that?” He calls, “Don’t ask for anything! We’re busy!” 

Piper throws a marshmallow towards him, “Can it.” 

“Bite me.” 

“Here we go.” Annabeth sighs, and Percy laughs, pressing a kiss to her cheek, “I love you.”

“Get married already.” Travis teases, and Annabeth’s cheeks burn. She’s grateful for the fact that the only source of light is from their bonfire, because she knows they’d tease her endlessly. Percy rolls his eyes, “Damn, well if you _insist_.”

He makes a move to get onto his knee, and Annabeth grabs onto his arm, “If you propose right now, I _will_ break up with you.” 

Percy’s eyes are shining as he resettles beside Annabeth on the log, and his arm goes around her shoulder, “Have a little faith in me, Wise Girl. Did you _really_ think I’d propose because Travis said to?”

She honestly didn’t, but with the way Percy talks about their future, she wouldn’t put it past him. She says nothing, but she gives him a nudge in response. 

“I’m still the maid of honor, right?” Piper speaks up, breaking the tension in the air, and Annabeth rolls her eyes despite the smile on her lips, “Thalia claimed that when I was 13, sorry Pipes.”

“I didn’t endure Percy practically living in my dorm for all of my freshman year for this.” She says, dramatically, and Annabeth shakes her head. Percy’s arm tightens around her, “Wanna be my best man?”

“I’d rather drown.”

“I can arrange that, you know.” 

“Bite me, Jackson.” 

“Which one, me or Annabeth?” The words come out so easily from him, and she knows he says it just to tease Piper, but it sends a jolt through her. They’d never even talked about things like this– They knew they were gonna stay together in the long run, but details were never ironed out. They were only 20, after all, but for some reason, they felt so much older. Their relationship felt so much more mature than it actually was. Despite the fact that he’s still arguing with Piper, she presses a kiss to his cheek. 

He grins, “What’s that for?”

She shakes her head, resting her head on his shoulder, “Nothing. Everything.” 

He responds with a kiss to her hair, and she can hear both Piper and Leo making gagging noises. “Didn’t you guys throw them in the lake when they first got together?” He asks, eyeing them, “We should do that again.”

“They’ll just make out again.” Nico says in a bored tone, and Annabeth laughs, “Well… He _is_ the son of Poseidon.”

“Not our best prank, truly.” Connor says, and Clarisse nods, “But it got them together, didn’t it?”

Percy’s hold on Annabeth tightens again, “It did, yeah.”

Percy sits back, readjusting his position as Travis dives into a story from one of the many frat parties he attended during college, and Annabeth leans into him. Her head is resting on his chest, and she can hear his steady heart beat in her ear. She lets out a small sigh, reaching down and grabbing onto Percy’s hand. She’s only half listening to Travis’s story, the other half of her is focused on pressing her palm against Percy’s. His fingers are calloused and rough, yet when they press against her, they’re the most gentle thing in the world. 

She must have completely zoned out, because Percy presses a kiss near her ear, “You okay?”

She nods against him, and she lifts her eyes to meet his. She shoots him a smile, “Yeah.”

“Wanna go on a walk?” 

She nods, and they both stand, fingers intertwined. It’s almost 10 at night and she knows they’ll be forced back to their cabins soon, but they head to the dock anyway. 

There’s a comfortable silence in the air till Percy speaks up. “Did my jokes overstep?”

His voice has a slight nervousness to it, and before Annabeth can say anything, he speaks again, “Because, like, I know we’ve kind of talked about but not _really_ and I really didn’t think much about them when I made them but then you got really silent and I just need to make sure–.”

“Percy.” Annabeth cuts him off, breathlessly, and she pulls the two of them to a stop. He freezes, his eyes meeting hers. There’s a smile on Annabeth’s lips, “You didn’t overstep.”

“Really?” The word comes out a relieved sigh, and Annabeth nods, “I know we’ve never actually talked about it, but you know–” She pauses, and her arms go around his neck, “I _am_ expecting it.”

His face changes, and suddenly he’s giving her a bright smile that makes her heart pound. “Seriously?”

She nods once, her fingers playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck, “I love you, and I don’t want to think about a future with anyone else– Four kids, remember?”

Percy lets out a breathless laugh, and he looks as though a weight’s been lifted off his shoulders. She feels his arms go around her waist, and he pulls her closer, “Four kids, yeah.”

His lips are brushing against hers, but before they properly meet, she pulls away, “But not now. Please don’t propose till we’re out of college– Preferably with stable jobs, and I don’t know, plans, I guess–.”

“Wise Girl, shut up and kiss me.”

“I’m just saying!” She huffs, but it’s playful, and Percy has a smile on his face, “And I know all this. You didn’t even let me kiss you till the war was over, did you _really_ think I wouldn’t know when to propose?”

“You do?”

He hums, nodding his head, and his voice comes out a bit shy again, “I’ve put more thought into the future than I’d like to admit.”

There’s a giddy smile that forms on her lips and she can feel her heart practically pounding out of her chest. She pulls herself onto her tiptoes and presses her lips to his, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” And then they’re kissing, and there’s nowhere else Annabeth would rather be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made a companion piece to this work that's the percabeth wedding & i have a princess diaries 2 au up! check them out!!  
> twit: ditesdaughter / tumblr: percasbeths


	13. PART IV – SENIOR YEAR

“ _She thought about the old rule of Aphrodite's cabin: that to be recognized as a daughter of the love goddess, you had to break someone's heart. Piper had long ago decided to change that rule._ _Percy and Annabeth were a perfect example of why. You should have to make someone’s heart whole; that was a much better test._ ”

– The Blood of Olympus

**SOUNDTRACK**

lover - taylor swift

the only exception - paramore

everything has changed - taylor swift, ed sheeran

grow as we go - ben platt

if the world was ending - jp saxe, julia michaels

long live - taylor swift

butterflies - kacey musgraves


	14. Chapter 10, Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TAYLOR SWIFT IS DROPPING A NEW ALBUM TOMORROW GET READY FOR PERCABETH AGENDA

**PERCY**

Percy’s 21st birthday is arguably a day to go down in history. They’d decided to spend the birthday weekend up at Camp Half-Blood, mostly because most of their friends were there, but also because Annabeth and Percy were staying with his parents and they wanted to party. He argued that he’d rather not have a party and instead focus on how it was their anniversary, but Annabeth waved him off. They’d celebrated their anniversary early in the city and Annabeth refused to let him back out of having a birthday weekend. He woke up Annabeth giving him a kiss and shoving a cupcake in his face, and as she quietly sang happy birthday to him, Leo, Piper, Grover, and surprisingly, Hazel and Frank, barged into the cabin and joined in. The entire day is filled with people wishing him happy birthdays and the Stolls tease him endlessly about how he’s finally legal and should chug a bottle of vodka, but Percy just shakes it off. 

He’s never drank in his life, and he has no plans to. Growing up, he saw how alcohol made Gabe act and even though he’s time and time again been reminded he is not his ex step-father, an irrational part of his brain makes him avoid drinking at all costs. He preferred being sober and being denoted a ‘party pooper’ over getting piss drunk. Plus, Annabeth was hilarious when she had alcohol in her system and he liked being 100% sober to experience it. 

Later at night, the older campers decide to throw Percy a massive party on the beach. The only light source is from a bonfire, and a bunch of campers from the Hermes and Hephaestus cabins managed to rig up a speaker system and music was blasting. And even though it technically wasn’t allowed, there was a table of various drinks. Whenever older campers visited, almost all camp rules stopped applying to them, and Chirona and Mr. D didn’t have it in them to scold.

Percy’s wearing a gold sash with the words “ _Finally 21_ ” across it and somehow, Piper forced a plastic tiara onto his head that she’d found in the depths of the Aphrodite cabin. 

“You look cute for once!” Piper coos, and Percy rolls his eyes, giving her a shove, “Fuck off. Go get wasted.”

“Bold of you to assume I don’t already have alcohol in me.” She snickers, and Percy shakes his head. “You’re terrible.”

“You love me!” She responds, giving him a pinch on the cheek, and Percy bites back a smile, “If you say so.”

She huffs, “You’re no fun. Where’s Annabeth?”

Percy laughs, watching her stalk off in search of Annabeth. Once she’s gone, he feels a pair of arms around him, “My birthday boy.”

Percy spins, meeting Annabeth’s eyes. She looks unfairly attractive, in Percy’s opinion, in a pastel pink sundress and her hair tied back in a ponytail. “There you are.”

She hums, “I was taking shots with Travis and Grover. What’d I miss?”

“Piper was looking for you.” He responds, his hands winding around her waist, and her brows furrow, “Should I go find her?”

Percy shakes his head, pressing a kiss to her lips, “Nope, you’re mine now.”

She smiles against his lips, “Always have been, Seaweed Brain.”

She kisses him properly this time and her lips taste like lime and tequila, but Percy doesn’t quite care as he tugs her closer. He knows if any of the campers see them right now they’ll get teased endlessly, but Annabeth’s hands entangle in his hair and he doesn’t even care about that anymore. 

When they pull away, her eyes are glazed over and he can’t help the smile that forms on his lips. “You’re way too drunk right now.”

She shakes her head, “I’m sober enough to know I want to kiss you again.” 

He laughs, and he pulls her into him. Somewhere between them making out his tiara fell onto the ground, but he doesn’t care. Annabeth nestles her head into his chest, “You’re warm.”

“Are you cold?” He asks, and she nods against his chest. When Annabeth is drunk, she becomes the most needy, dependent version of herself that Percy can never get enough of. He releases her for a moment and takes off his denim jacket, draping it over her shoulders, “Better?”

She slips her arms into it and nods, rewrapping her arms around his neck. “You’re so unfair.”

Percy raises an eyebrow, “Huh?”

“You’re unfairly handsome– It shouldn’t be allowed.” She says, with as much confidence as she can given the slur in her voice, “Like, do you know how many girls eye you? That’s unfair. And you _always_ look good, even when you’ve just woken up or just showered. It’s so unfair.” She’s rambling drunkenly, and all Percy can do is listen, an amused expression on his face.

“The Gods did something right when they gave you your features. Thank you, Poseidon.” 

At that, Percy laughs. “Alright, Wise Girl, I think you’ve had enough for the night.”

She hums, “I was gonna take more shots with Piper.”

“Hm, no.” He responds easily, his arm going around her shoulder to guide her towards the cabins, “I think you’ve had too many shots for that.”

She pouts, but she’s still walking with him back to cabin 3. Once they’re inside, Percy sits her down on the bed and helps her into one of his shirts.

“You’re cute.” She mumbles while he places her dress on the nearby table, and he grins, “You’re gonna regret tonight so much.”

She curls up on the bed while Percy changes into a pair of sweats and a camp shirt, letting out a small yawn, “I’m well aware of what I’m saying, Seaweed Brain.” 

His arm wraps around her and she turns, their noses an inch away from each other. He moves a strand of hair out of her face, “You sure about that?” 

She nods against the pillow, “Positive. I may be drunk but I am coherent.”

He laughs, “Whatever you say.” 

He gives her a small squeeze, “Good night, Annabeth.”

“Wait, Percy.” She grabs his arm, and his eyes reopen. Annabeth leans forward and kisses him, and it's softer and less intense than the one they’d shared on the beach, but he still holds her a bit tighter. When their lips part, she gives him a small smile, “Happy five year anniversary. I know we celebrated already and I think it’s past 12 A.M, but still.”

His heart leaps in his chest, and he can’t stop the smile that forms on his face, “Happy anniversary.” 

At that, she shifts and buries herself into Percy’s chest, and moments later they’re both asleep. 

  
  
  


Percy knew senior year would absolutely kill him, but he imagined he’d at least have a month of peace before everything hit the fan. But Gods, was he wrong. They were only three weeks in and his work had gotten more intense and demanding, and even though he was only taking three classes, he was drained. He couldn’t wait till the day he gets his degree and can call it. 

When he steps into the apartment after an almost 11-hour shift at the children’s hospital, he immediately zeroes in on the sofa. Annabeth’s already there, typing away on her laptop. Percy falls onto the cushions beside her, and his head lands in her lap, causing Annabeth to laugh. 

“Hey there.” She says, softly, moving her laptop aside. Percy grins, “Hi.”

“Rough day?” Her fingers are running through his hair, and he feels a wave of comfort pass over him. He hums, his eyes fluttering shut, “I’m so tired.”

He feels a kiss land on his forehead, “Are you hungry? I cooked dinner and left you a plate.”

A rush of affection passes through him. Annabeth wasn’t the best cook, especially considering that she grew up at a camp with a magic mess hall, but ever since they’d moved in together last year, she’s been trying new recipes here and there. He shakes his head, burying his head into her further, “I just need to sleep.”

“Then go sleep, you baby.” She laughs, and he pouts, opening his eyes to meet hers. Her fingers are curling strands of his hair between her fingertips, and from where he’s sitting, she looks beautiful. “Can’t I sleep here? I’m so comfy.”

She gives his shoulder a small shove before pressing a short kiss to his lips, “No, go to bed. I’ll be in in a minute.” 

He groans, but sits up anyway. He’s still in slacks and a button up, anyway, and falling asleep in those would be a nightmare. As he goes around the sofa to head to the bedroom, he presses a quick kiss to her cheek, “Don’t stay out too long.”

She shoots him a smile, “I won’t. Promise.”

He wants to stay up till she comes into bed so he can cuddle her, but once his head hits the pillow, he’s passed out.

Percy doesn’t know why he wakes up randomly in the middle of the night, but once he feels that the other side of the bed is still empty, he’s fully awake. His phone screen reads 3:42 A.M and even though Annabeth has a track record of staying up late, it’s usually not this bad.

He climbs out of bed to search for her, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. As he walks by the bathroom, he hears sniffling, causing him to stop and push the door open gently. Annabeth’s curled up with her knees pulled to her chest, and when she looks up, her eyes are bloodshot. 

“Annabeth.” He sighs out her name as he lowers himself to the floor beside her, and she sniffles, her voice coming out hoarse, “Go back to bed.”

“Not without you.” His response comes out so easily, and Annabeth stares at him for a moment with tear filled eyes before throwing her arms around him. One hand holds her waist so she’s in place, while the other runs up and down her back, “Shh, you’re okay. I got you.”

He whispers small words of encouragement into her ear as she cries into his shoulder, and even though Percy doesn’t even know what’s wrong, he just holds her. Annabeth’s worst habit, in his own opinion, was her tendency to bottle everything up. She’d just let all the little things build up and refuse to talk about them until they’d somehow spill out of her– usually through crying, but other times she’d ask Percy to spar to let out the frustration. 

She pulls her face away from Percy’s shoulder, a small sniffle leaving her, “Thank you.”

He tucks a hair behind her ear, “I didn’t even do anything.” He presses a kiss to her forehead, “What happened?”

She shrugs, letting out a shaky breath, “I don’t even know. I just– This stress is getting to me. I’m never sleeping, when I’m at work my brain is so fried that all I can think about is classes, and I’m _scared_. I know it’s stupid especially since we’re only in fall and have months to go but what happens after we graduate? Like, past the whole getting jobs and stuff, what happens?”

Percy _desperately_ wants to give her a really thought out answer. Something intricate and detailed that plans out their entire futures for the next ten years. But if he’s being honest, he has _no_ clue. Right now, his brain is a mental checklist: Graduate, move back to New York, get an apartment, secure a job. That’s all he has planned. After that? He really doesn’t have a clue. He expects it’ll be filled with working shifts, holidays with his family, and random reunions with his friends when vacations roll around, but there’s nothing solid about that. Maybe marriage along the way, followed by the four kids Annabeth wants, but those all seem so far away right now.

“I honestly don’t know.” He sighs, his eyes gazing into hers. They’re a dark gray right now, still tear filled and blood shot and Percy wishes more than anything that they can go back to the bright gray they were when he first came home, “I just know that for everything we do, we’ll be there for each other. And I know you like planning ahead and thinking everything through, but I hope that that’s enough for you.”

He presses a kiss to her temple, “For anything that happens, I’m gonna be there and I’m gonna hold your hand through it all. Never again, right?”

When he says that, her face changes and a few new tears well up in her eyes that Percy’s quick to wipe away, “I love you. I’m never going anywhere.”

Annabeth had a habit of wanting to shoulder all the pains of the world. So, whenever she was stressed, she was stressed for everyone, not just herself. And Percy knew that. It was one of the things that Percy found annoying, yet he also loved it about her– her willingness to help others, to carry their burdens and hold their hands as they went through it. She never let people take care of her, though, except Percy. Percy, for as long as she let him, would _always_ take care of her, and they both knew that. 

She wipes at her cheek, “I love you. So much.” 

He gives her a small, sad smile before kissing her. It’s light and sweet and just enough to show her he’s there for her, and when they pull away, Percy tilts his head to the side, “Ready to actually go to bed?”

She nods and lets herself be carried to their bed, and once they’re settled in she presses herself into him. They both have an early morning tomorrow, but Percy’s already formulating a text to his manager in his head. He doesn’t want to leave Annabeth, especially not when she’s upset. 

He presses a kiss to the top of her head, “Good night, Wise Girl.”

  
  
  


When Percy wakes up to his alarm the next morning, he wastes no time sending out a text to his manager saying he won’t be able to come in today. Once it’s sent, he locks his phone and rewraps himself around Annabeth, whose back is pressed against his chest. She lets out a small sigh, “Did you just text your manager?”

He hums, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, “Yup. You should too.”

He can practically feel her roll her eyes, yet he watches her grab her phone and over her shoulder, sees her type out a text claiming she’s sick and can’t come in, before locking her phone. “You won.”

He grins as he places a soft kiss to her neck, “You should go back to sleep.”

“What about you?” She asks, but there’s a sleepiness in her voice and Percy can tell she’s seconds from falling asleep again.

“I have a paper due at 12 I need to finish.” He gently retracts himself from her, “Love you.”

She incoherently mumbles something into her pillow that Percy assumes is an ‘I love you, too’ as he gets out of the bed. Although he does have a paper he needs to get done, he also wants to make her breakfast and surprise her. So, he brushes his teeth and brews a pot of coffee and gets to work. 

He manages to finish up the essay within an hour and a half, and Annabeth’s still sound asleep. He pulls out a tube of ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls and pops them in the oven before getting to work on making two omelettes. One of the many things Sally took pride in was the fact that she raised Percy knowing his way around the kitchen, and it definitely stuck in him as he grew up. From early on, Percy knew the basics in the kitchen, and as he grew older, his skill set only grew. Sure, killing monsters was a pretty cool thing to know how to do, but cooking and watching people enjoy what he’d made? That was even better. 

As he’s pouring the second omelette into the pan, he hears footsteps enter the kitchen, and a pair of arms are around him. “It smells so good.” Annabeth’s sleepy voice comes from his back, her head resting against him, and he laughs. He places down his spatula and turns, “Good morning.”

She hums, giving him a smile that’s still a little sleep filled, “Good morning. Why’d you say you have a paper due?”

“Because,” He begins, lifting her onto the counter beside him. He’s focused on not kissing her right now, because eggs can easily burn and he’s not in the mood for a grocery store trip to get a new pan, “I did have a paper due. Making you breakfast was just something extra.”

She wraps her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead to his, “You’re the best, you know that?”

He grins, placing a quick kiss to her lips, “Go sit down, I’ll bring the food out in a second.”

She obeys and hops off the counter, and as Percy flips the omelette, she pours herself a cup of coffee. Five minutes later, they’re sitting at their small dining table and Annabeth gives him a kiss, “You really are gonna be a trophy husband, huh.”

He laughs, ignoring the way his ears burned, “I won’t complain.”

As they eat, Annabeth’s phone buzzes, and Percy sees Piper’s contact shine on the screen. She checks it, then shoots Percy an apologetic smile, “Okay, I know you called out and we were gonna hang out but Piper’s literally two minutes away. And Piper may have told Hazel to come too.” 

Percy lets out a groan, but there’s no actual complaint to it. He did want to spend the day with Annabeth, but he also knows she needs time with Piper and Hazel– They understood Annabeth a different way then Percy did. She gives him a kiss on the cheek, “We’ll have tonight for ourselves, promise.”

“Mhm, I’ll hold you to that.” He responds, picking up his empty plate and taking it to the sink. As he does that, he hears the door open and close, and Piper’s voice rings through the apartment. She sits down on one of their chairs, picking up a cinnamon roll, and Percy’s eyes narrow, “Did not make those for you, McLean.”

Piper doesn’t look up, “Annabeth, Percy spoils you too much.”

Annabeth rolls her eyes, “Gee, thanks.”

“I know he made coffee too. Am I wrong?” She takes a bite of the cinnamon roll in her hand, and with her mouth full, looks at Percy, “Wait, these are so good!”

Percy, despite the way he’s trying to glare at her, laughs, “You’re a monster. Talk after you swallow, heathen.”

“Play nice, children.” Annabeth says as she stands up, her empty plate in her hand. She leans over Piper, “He made me an omelette, too.”

Piper gasps, and her gaze shifts to Percy, “Can I rent you for a day?”

Percy makes a face, and Annabeth gives her a kick in the shin, “Watch yourself.”

“Ow! Not like that, you weirdos!” Piper makes a disgusted face, “No offense, Annabeth, but… no. I mean his cooking skills. You may be the most annoying person in the world, but you can cook.”

Percy rolls his eyes, “No, thanks.” 

With that, he walks into the bedroom and changes into a pair of sweats and a loose tee before grabbing his swim bag off the floor. He re-enters the living room, where Annabeth and Piper have claimed the couch, and he gives Annabeth’s forehead a small kiss, “I’m gonna go to the pool for a bit.”

She grabs his arm, “Be back before five.”

“What’s at five?” 

“We have a date.” She responds, sitting up to give him a proper kiss, “Have fun.”

Ever since her revelation last year about how Percy always took charge of their plans, she started going out of her way to find new places for them to go. He didn’t care much for where they were going or what they did– he would do anything as long as it meant Annabeth’s happiness. His favorite thing about the dates though was Annabeth dressing up. She always looked beautiful to Percy, but there was something about her shyness and the way she’d blush when he complimented her that made his heart want to explode. 

He never could get enough of her, and if he was being honest, he never wanted to get enough.   
  


They’re on a picnic on the beach, and Annabeth’s in a light yellow sundress and her Doc Martens (that she took off almost as soon as they settled into the sand) and Percy thinks she looks adorable, especially when compared to his all black outfit with a denim jacket tossed on. 

She’s leaning against him, one hand pressing against his and the other holding a flute of sparkling cider. “Do you ever think about how this is our last year living in New Rome?”

It’s a simple question, but it still sends a jolt through Percy. He’d gotten all too used to living without fear of monsters smelling his blood, the California sun, and the way he lived in an environment that was all people like him. Still, he misses New York. “It still hasn’t set in.”

“I know. I– I pitched New Athens to Chiron and Mr. D last summer.”

“What?” Percy sits up slightly, accidentally forcing Annabeth off his lap, “Why didn’t you tell me?” She turns to him. There’s a smile on her lips and her eyes are shining, “I didn’t want word to go around– I knew it would need the Gods’ approval and so I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I mean, when I pitched it, they thought it was cool and Mr. D gave his vote right there, but he also said some other Gods would be trickier to convince but he’d ask.”

She grabs his hand, pressing their palms together again. She had that habit: Pressing their hands together. When Percy was thirteen, one of his old mortal friends told him that when a girl holds your hands together and compares the sizes, she’s flirting with you. Annabeth had done that since they were sixteen. So, ever since he was sixteen and Annabeth held his hand, he assumed it’s her way of showing affection. He probably wasn’t far off, since she loved holding hands. She’s got a smile on her face, and Percy takes that as a positive, “And?”

“I think it’s happening.” Her voice comes out low, but she can’t hide the excitement, “The Gods agreed that Greek children deserve a safe haven– But even so, it won’t be as big or as grand as New Rome and will probably not be done for another 20 years but at least we have our retirement plan.”

When she says that, he feels butterflies erupt in his stomach– Annabeth Chase, the girl he’s planned his future with since they were _sixteen_ , just pitched a retirement plan. He wraps his arms around her, “I’m so proud of you. I love you.”

She gives him a light kiss, and Percy responds by standing up and pulling her up as well. He’s carrying the two of them into the ocean, and Annabeth lets out a noise of complaint, her legs tangling around his waist while her arms tighten around his neck, “We’re gonna get soaked!”

“So?” He responds. He’s standing calf-deep in the water, and he can feel his black jeans getting soaked, but he doesn’t care. If he did, he could just will himself to stay dry, but that requires more concentration than he’d like to admit. And when Annabeth kisses him, he knows that he won’t be able to keep himself dry, because _how can he pay attention to anything when his girlfriend is kissing him?_

She’s laughing into him, their foreheads pressed against each other. It’s windy, and her hair is blowing everywhere, but he doesn’t care because her eyes are sparkling and so full of love that all he can do is stare at her. He presses his lips against hers, “You’re beautiful.”

There’s a blush that dusts her cheeks, and it makes Percy’s heart pound. She entangles her fingers into his hair, “I love you.”

He kisses her, again, his arms tightening around her waist. The water’s crashing against his legs and he knows wet jeans are the worst feeling in the world, but Annabeth’s kissing him back and right now that’s all he can focus on. When they pull away, she’s panting and his heart feels like it’s gonna explode. She gives him one last kiss, “Come on. I’m cold.”

Percy complies, the two of them settling back onto the blanket laid on the sand. Percy takes off his jacket and hands it to Annabeth, who immediately pulls it on and wraps it tight around her, “Your clothes always smell good.”

They lay down, and Percy laughs, wrapping his arm around her. “Thanks, my girlfriend does my laundry half the time.”

She rolls her eyes, resting her head on his chest. Her hand rests opposite her head, and she’s tracing circles right above where his heart is. “I mean,” she says, quietly, “They smell like you.”

He grins and presses a kiss to her hair. She moved on to grab his free hand, and she’s intertwining and undoing their fingers multiple times. Percy squeezes her hand, “I love you.”

He can’t see her face, but against his chest, he feels her smile, “I love you, too, Seaweed Brain.”


	15. Chapter 11, Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second to last chapter who else is scared !!!! ps thank u for almost 6k hits u do Not understand how much it means to me

**ANNABETH**

Annabeth misses her couch. It’s like she’s anywhere distant from it or anything, it’s just that she’s had a crazy semester and hasn’t been able to _be_ home in forever. Her week goes something like this: Class, work, library, more classes, more work, library. Even when she’s home, she’s sitting at the small dining table with books opened and typing furiously at her laptop. 

And Percy. _Gods_ , does she miss Percy. Their schedules conflict so much that she hasn’t had a proper conversation with him in almost two weeks. Their exchanges are him preparing her coffee in the morning, her reminding him she cooked dinner when he comes home from late shifts, and quick cuddles before falling asleep. She was going insane, and she just _misses_ him. 

When her advanced design lab professor announced they’d have a paired project worth 20% of their grade, Annabeth almost lost it right then and there. It’s not that she minded the project– designing and making a scale model of a small town wasn’t that difficult, but it was that she now was forced to spend even less time at her apartment. It also didn’t help that her partner, a child of Demeter named James, was, for lack of better term, obsessed with the project. 

Annabeth had a method to group projects: split the work, each do their part, then meet up maybe twice to go over it. It was foolproof, in her opinion, and worked. James, on the other hand, loved to do everything hands on. Here she was, a week after the assignment deadline was set, and she’d managed to see James four out of the seven days in a week, and he planned for more. When they’re not together, he’s mass texting her plans and Annabeth’s had it. And although Annabeth’s frustrated, Percy’s worse.

Annabeth knows Percy has a jealous streak. If she’s being honest, she lives for it, but he doesn’t know that. So whenever she has to skip out on a night in to work on the assignment or he’s texting her, Percy’s visibly angry. He won’t let it out though, but Annabeth sees it in the way his shoulders tighten and his jaw clenches. 

She’s home from a full day at work, and the second her bag and shoes are on the floor, she bee-lines straight to the sofa and crashes onto it. Percy’s beside her, a huge pile of papers splayed out on the coffee table that he’s working on. He gives her a tap on the leg, “Hey stranger.”

She opens one eye, peering over at him. He’s fresh out of the shower, his hair clearly damp, and he’s in navy sweatpants and an old white shirt that’s hugging his chest in the best way. _How is he this attractive without trying?_

Annabeth shifts the way she’s sitting, moving to rest her head on his shoulder, “I’m giving up on everything. You can be the breadwinner– I call the trophy wife.”

Percy laughs, “I already called that two years ago, babe. Try again.” 

She sighs, closing both her eyes once again, “Might fall asleep right here.” 

“I made dinner– Your plate is in the microwave. You are welcome to sleep, but I figured you’d be hungry.” He says, pressing a kiss to her hair. 

Annabeth sits up, “You’re the best.” She stands up, tossing her phone onto the table before going to microwave her food and changing. When she returns, Percy’s jaw is clenched and his attention is fixed on the papers in front of him. “James texted. A bunch of times.”

Annabeth can’t stop the eye roll as she sits down, putting her plate on the table and grabbing her phone. It’s a string of miscellaneous texts, all fixating on different parts. Annabeth types out a half-hearted reply before locking her phone and tossing it aside. She doesn’t have the patience to deal with him right now, nor is she in the mood to argue with Percy. 

The damage is already done, though, because Percy’s visibly upset. When Annabeth attempts to lean towards him, he shifts, and that’s enough for her to know that he’s had enough for the night. Before she either cries or starts an argument, she stands up and heads to bed. Both she and Percy know she’s not actually about to fall asleep, and she has a paper she planned on proofreading before bed, but she doesn’t want to focus on that. Instead, she buries her head in her pillow and hopes that tonight doesn’t drag on.

  
  
  


When Annabeth wakes up with a nightmare, there’s tears in her eyes and her hand reaches out for Percy’s side of the bed, only to find that it’s empty. She curls into herself and cries, and even though she knows he’s probably just in the living room still, a bigger part of her brain has her convinced he’s not even home, and that makes her cry harder. She doesn’t even realize a pair of arms wrapped around till Percy’s voice fills her ears, “Annabeth, you’re okay.”

She buries herself in his chest, a small whimper escaping her. She thought she was done with nightmares. She’s been seeing a therapist for almost three years now, had emergency anxiety medication on hand and had talked out all her trauma– so why _now_? Why was she reminded of the stupid deepest pit of hell now? 

When her tears calm down, she’s hit with a wave of anger, and before she can stop herself, she gives Percy a hit on the shoulder, “Where were you?”

Her voice is hoarse from the tears and Percy arms tighten around her, “I fell asleep working on those papers– I’m sorry, I’m here now.”

“I–,” She takes in a shaky breath, “I dreamt you were gone.” 

It’s so low she thinks Percy doesn’t hear it, but his lips plant a kiss to her temple, “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

He lays the both of them down, and Annabeth rests her head on his chest, right above his heartbeat. She needs to hear it, she needs the feeling of his chest rising and falling because she’s so scared it might go away. She’s well aware that they’re done with the quests and the wars, but the Fates are tricky things and she knows not to stay optimistic for too long. 

Percy was so angry at her a mere few hours ago, yet here he was, rubbing circles in her back and pressing small kisses to her hair. She didn’t deserve him, really, and when he whispers a good night in her ear, she easily falls back asleep. 

The next morning, she wakes up to an empty bed and when she enters the kitchen, Percy’s sitting at the small table, a mug of coffee in his hands and already dressed for the day. 

“Hey.” She says it so softly, nervously almost. After everything that happened yesterday, she’s unsure where they stand– whether they’re fighting or fine. “You’re up earlier than usual.”

He shrugs, taking a sip of coffee. He's looking everywhere but her face, but Annabeth doesn’t mind that. “I didn’t sleep much. Wanted to make sure you were okay and all that.”

Annabeth feels a bubble of guilt form in her chest. She was rarely ever home and barely making time for him, meanwhile he pulled an all nighter to make sure she was okay. 

“Percy, I–” She pauses, her phone buzzing loudly in her hand. She sighs, checking it quickly. Just her luck, it's James reminding her they have a study session in 30 minutes and she has to be there. She looks at Percy, who’s shoulders have now tensed, “You need to go, right?”

Annabeth’s exasperated sigh is enough for him to know he’s right, and he nods. “Figured.”

He stands up, “I’m working late tonight and I might crash at Frank’s. Don’t wait up.”

“Wait, _Percy–_!”

But he’s already out the door, slamming it shut behind him. She often forgets how strong Percy is– when they spar, he doesn’t use his full potential and he takes it lightly, but when the door frame rattles and the slam echoes throughout the empty apartment, the intensity of his anger is felt. He’s _always_ gentle with her: he’s a mix of feather light touches and gripping her with just enough force she’s gasping underneath him, but the way the bang of the door vibrates through her makes her feel awful. And as she swallows the unshed tears back and forces herself to get ready, all she can think is how desperately she wants to talk to him.  
  


Annabeth doesn’t see Percy for four days. 

She keeps tabs on him, though, through Frank. He’s been crashing at his and since Percy has Annabeth’s schedule memorized like the back of his hand, he manages to come by only when she’s not home. She can tell he’s been there, though, from the little things: certain shirts are missing, the empty takeout boxes Annabeth left on the counter are suddenly gone, the mug in the sink is cleaned, or the bed’s made. She’s texted him a total of three times– she doesn’t know how to talk to him right now, but she also doesn’t want to lose him. She _can’t_ lose him.

Annabeth has been in love with Percy since she was 12 years old and he defended her from the _stupid_ mechanical spiders in that _stupid_ Tunnel of Love ride. Without him, she has no plans for her future. He’s always been her anchor, her hero, and the thought of not having him in her life _terrified_ her. When they first defeated Gaia and won the war, Annabeth went weeks expecting Percy to resent her for dragging him into Tartarus. She’d avoided him for hours, pushed him away, and even yelled at him at some point, but all he did was hold her and remind her that he loved her– that he would _always_ love her. She cried into his shoulder while he held onto her, and she’d never loved him more.

She gets home from a long shift and the apartment’s empty, making her immediately want to leave again. Instead, though, she takes a shower and cries. The hot water is turning her skin red and she’s scrubbed her skin to the point where it’s absolutely raw, but she doesn’t care. There’s a healing cut on her arm from her morning spar session with Piper, and it reopened during her shower, but all she can manage to do is toss a series of bandaids over it. She tosses on a loose shirt she pulls out from the bottom of her closet and a pair of shorts, and as she’s heading back into the living room, she spots him.

He has tired bags under his eyes and his face is void of any emotion, but he still looks handsome to her. He looks like he’s just stepped in, too, because his keys are still dangling from his fingertips and his bag is still slung on his shoulder.

“ _Percy_.” She whispers, and he meets her eyes, “I just came by for a few things, I’ll leave.”

“Wait, no, Percy–” Annabeth begins, before he can turn away, “ _Stay_.”

There’s so much desperation in her voice that she doesn’t bother masking– She’s tired of her pride and doesn’t bother when it comes to Percy. She reaches out and grabs his arm, “ _Please_.” She swallows, and there are tears burning the back of her eyes, “I miss you.”

He takes in a shaky breath, “I miss you, too. But I can’t– I _can’t_ do this, Annabeth.”

“The project’s done, I won’t even–.”

“ _Not_ him.” He cuts her off, his voice so cold it takes Annabeth back, “I can’t keep living with us not making time for each other. It’s too draining, too tiring and I don’t have it in me anymore.”

“I know, okay, I know. I get too distracted, but not anymore, okay? I love you– I _love_ you _so_ much and I won’t let work or grades or stupid project partners get in the way again.” She’s talking so fast, as if in a rush to ensure that he stays, and her hands reach out to cup his face, “We have two more semesters. We need to get through them, and I– I _can’t_ do it without you.”

He stares at her for a moment, searching her face. Annabeth’s practically shaking, her heart pounding in her chest. She’s so scared he’s gonna walk out right there, but then he curses under his breath and he’s kissing her, his bag and keys hitting the floor with a clang. Annabeth doesn’t even realize how much she missed him till his arms go around her waist, and she’s kissing back like her life depends on it. When they part, their breaths come out as shallow pants as he presses his forehead against hers. “I _really_ missed you.”

Her heart’s pounding, and when he gives her a breathless smile, she feels her entire body melt into his, “I missed you too.” 

He takes in a breath, “I’ve been in _hell_ for the past three weeks.” His voice is low and raspy and so pain-filled it almost breaks her, “I haven’t slept properly in so long and work has been exhausting and everything is just tiring me out.”

“Percy, why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Were you ever around to tell?” The response is harsh, especially in comparison to the softness of the question she’d asked, and she grimaces. He lets out a sigh, removing his forehead from hers, “I– I’m sorry, that came out wrong–.”

“I deserved it.” She cuts him off, her thumb running across his jaw. “I haven’t been good to you for a while now, and you have every right to be mad at me.”

He lets out a defeated sigh, and Annabeth presses a kiss to his cheek, “I’m here now, okay? No more bottling up, no more shutting down when we clearly need to talk. Shit gets hard, yeah, but we need to talk to each other.” She takes in a breath, “I _can’t_ lose you.”

“You make it so hard to be mad you, you know that, right?” He says softly, brushing a kiss to her temple, “You’re _never_ gonna lose me, Wise Girl. I said never again, right?”

A shiver runs down her back at his words, and her arms tighten around his neck, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

  
  


When Sally calls the two of them at two in the morning, Annabeth hopes it’s good news, but once Percy sits up abruptly, she knows it’s wistful thinking.

“Mom, mom– slow down, please.” Percy begins, “I’m putting you on speaker, I can’t deal with your yelling in my ear right now.”

Annabeth sits up as well, resting her head on his shoulder as he presses the speaker button on his phone screen.

“Perce– It’s Estelle.” 

Those three words cause Annabeth’s blood to run cold and she grips Percy’s arm. Sally lets out a shaky breath, and Annabeth can only assume she’s holding back tears, “They say it’s her appendix, but she’s so young it’s hard to tell. She might need surgery– She’s,” There’s another sharp breath, “She’s in the ER right now. I just needed to tell you.”

“I’m coming back.” Percy makes a move to get out of the bed, but Annabeth grabs him, “Percy, it’s two in the morning. Take a breather.”

“She’s right, hon.” Sally speaks from the phone, “It’s also your senior year and you can’t skip out on days.”

“My professors and boss will understand, mom. I _need_ to be there. She’s–” He cuts himself off, and even in the dark, Annabeth can see the tears welling up in his eyes, “She’s my baby sister.”

Wordlessly, Annabeth gives his hand a squeeze before grabbing her laptop, “I’ll look up flights. Sally, do you think Paul could make a trip to La Guardia?” 

“Of course.”

They hang up after Sally promises to text the two of them updates on Estelle, and Annabeth’s quick to pull up a website for cheap flights. She gives his hand a small squeeze, “Are you sure you’re going?”

“I will summon Blackjack if I _fucking_ have to, I’m going.”

“Let me at least–”

“Annabeth, no.” Percy cuts her off before she can even finish the sentence, “You have so much more riding on you, you can’t leave in the middle of a semester.”

“I want to be there for you, though.” She whispers, and Percy gives her a smile, pressing his lips to her cheek, “And I love you for that. But right now, what I need you to do is find a flight while I pack.”

Within 3 hours, Annabeth’s standing outside their apartment complex, waiting for a cab to the airport. Her hand is intertwined with Percy’s, and she presses a kiss to his cheek, “Keep me updated on Estelle, okay?”

He nods. His attention is focused on everything but her right now, but she’s okay with it. His mind is with his family right now. Percy wraps his arms around her, pulling her close to him, “I love you.”

She kisses him, it’s short and sweet but still enough to make her head spin, “I love you, too.” Just as she says this, a cab pulls up to the curb, and Percy lets her go, “I’ll text you once I land.”

She nods, taking a step back and watching the cab drive away. She knows Percy hates flying, save for when it’s horseback, and she lets out a small sigh. _Please, please keep them safe,_ she mentally prays, _I know you guys are listening, so take care of them. They don’t deserve this._

With that, she heads up to their empty apartment, curling into his pillow and hoping to catch at least an extra few hours of sleep before she has class. 

  
  
  


Percy spends a week and a half in New York, and to Annabeth, they’re the longest week and a half of her life. Estelle ends up getting her appendix removed and Percy had chosen to stay with her till she made a full recovery. The day Percy arrives, his flight lands at 11 in the morning and Annabeth borrows her dad’s car to pick him up. Once she spots him coming out of the arrivals gate, she practically runs to him. His duffel falls from his hands as Annabeth jumps into his arms, his grip tightening around her waist. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, “I missed you so much.”

To any bystander, the two of them looked like a scene out of a movie: two kids with their arms wrapped around each other, his bag discarded on the ground and his lips pressed against her hair. “I missed you too, Wise Girl.”

She removes her head from his shoulder and meets his eyes, “You’re not allowed to go anywhere without me ever again.”

His eyes are shining, and he gives her a smile that makes her heart jump, “I don’t even want to go anywhere without you.”

Then they’re kissing. It’s far too intense for such a public setting like the airport, but Annabeth doesn’t even care. All she’s focused on is him and how he’s here and how he’s kissing her and his arms around her.

  
  
  


Annabeth thought she was okay with clothes shopping– she’s gone on enough trips with Sally and her step-mother to be comfortable with trying on clothes. But when she starts shopping for her graduation dress, she instantly wants to go home. She claimed it was too early to shop for dresses, seeing as they were at the end of their fall semester, but her step-mother disagreed. 

“Graduation day is one of the most important days of your life. You need to start looking from now.” She says as they exit yet another shop and Annabeth desperately wants to leave, but Percy gives her hand a small squeeze, “Come on,” He whispers in her ear, “Play nice for a day.”

“I have been playing nice.” She mutters, causing Percy to laugh. He presses a kiss to the side of her head, “Two more shops– Then we’ll call it.”

She doesn’t have a choice, so when they enter yet another boutique, Annabeth watches her step-mother pull out every possible white dress off the racks and into Percy’s hands. Annabeth didn’t quite know the graduation dress code, besides the fact that she had to wear a semi-formal outfit, but when she found out their gowns were purple and gold to match Camp Jupiter, Piper immediately told her to wear white. She didn’t question it– she knew her friend had better taste than she did, and once her step-mother heard, she’d begun eyeing based on color. So for every store they entered, Annabeth endured trying on every single white dress they had in her size, and it was tiring. 

Once Percy’s hands were full of all the possible white dresses in the store, she was shoved into a dressing room while her step-mother and Percy waited outside. Four dresses in, Annabeth feels defeated. None of the dresses were settling quite right on her, and she honestly wants to call it for the day. 

“There are two more, Annabeth– just try them on!” Her step-mother calls out, and she sighs. One of the two is a floor length sundress type that she immediately discards, and picks up the last one and slips it on. It’s made of a silk-type material, settles a little bit above her knees, and it has spaghetti straps and a straight neckline. There’s a little runch at one side, and she doesn’t hate it when it’s on the hanger, but the second it’s on her body, she wants to rip it off.

She can’t quite pinpoint why, but for every dress she’s tried on, she _absolutely_ hates them. Maybe it’s the way the white brings out the flush of her cheeks a little too much, or the way her knees look weird when they’re exposed like that, or the way _every single damn scar_ on her skin seems accentuated against the white of the fabric. It could also be that she doesn’t quite have the chest to fill out the dress right, or that she’s much more muscular than the girls who would properly pull it off. All in all, she wants to cry. She takes in a breath, “I hate them.”

“Can you at least let me see it?” Her step-mom calls from behind the door, and Annabeth sighs and steps out of the fitting room. 

“Oh, it’s gorgeous.” She coos, and Annabeth shakes her head, “No, it’s not.”

“Don’t be so picky! This is stunning! It’s so flattering.” Her step-mother argues, and she lets out a huff, “I disagree.”

Before they can start arguing, Percy stands up, “Mrs. Chase, do you mind if Annabeth and I have a minute alone?” 

She rolls her eyes, “Be my guest. I’ll be outside, okay?”

He shoots her a grateful look, and once she’s gone, Percy grabs both of Annabeth’s hands, “Okay, what’s wrong?”

She shrugs, but she doesn’t meet his eyes, “Nothing.”

“Annabeth, come on.” He crouches his head so their eyes are forced to meet, and once she gazes into his all-too-familiar sea-green eyes, the tears well up in her eyes. 

“I _hate_ it.” She whispers weakly, her voice cracking slightly, “I look stupid– I’m too tall for this and my muscles look weird because of course I don’t have that perfect body like the models who wore this and my skin tone’s off and my stupid scars are standing out and I– I just hate it.”

She hates this feeling. She’d like to think she’s confident– she carries herself like she is, but mostly that’s a cover up. At heart, Annabeth Chase is insecure. Her blonde hair has always made her iffy, her curls are unmanageable and leave her frustrated almost every day, and her build always makes her insecure. Growing up, she was consistently training and learning to battle– that led her to develop muscles. And while that was a sign she’s strong, she hates the way it makes clothes hang on her. 

“Annabeth.” Percy sighs, his arms wrapping around her body, “You’re fucking beautiful.”

“You’re just saying that because you're my boyfriend.” She responds, and Percy lets out a small laugh, “Okay, I may be your boyfriend, but it’s true.”

He brushes a loose hair away from her face, his eyes meeting hers. They’re filled with nothing but love and there’s a glint in them that makes Annabeth’s heart melt, “You’re not too muscular, you have just enough that you can judo flip someone but you also look gentle. You’re not too tall, you have the _best_ legs in the world and I literally have to stop myself from staring at them because they look _that_ good.” Annabeth laughs, despite the fact that there are tears in her eyes, and she feels the all-too familiar butterflies erupt in her chest as Percy smiles, “And your skin, and scars, are _beautiful_ , Annabeth. They’re proof of what you’ve been through– of what _we’ve_ been through.” 

His fingers move to trace the scar from where she took the dagger for him, back when they were barely even sixteen years old and Annabeth was hoarding an impossible crush on him. “They make you stronger, and they’re a way for you to tell your story. You– you’re _every_ form of beautiful there is, every single synonym there is.”

She can feel tears rolling down her face, and Percy wipes them away, “Plus, if you hate the color white– We kinda have a problem for when the wedding rolls around.”

At that, Annabeth’s heart leaps and she kisses him. Her hands are around his neck and she tugs him closer, ignoring the fact that they’re standing in the middle of a dressing room and her step-mother is waiting outside. Right now, all she cares about is the way Percy makes her feel pretty. When they pull away, he presses a weak, breathless kiss to her forehead, “Get the dress. It’s stunning.”

She nods, and Percy waits patiently as she changes back into her skinny jeans and tank top before he buys her the dress, despite the fact that she’s protesting. 

“I liked it on you, so I’m gonna buy it.” He states simply, swiping his card, and Annabeth presses a kiss to his cheek, “Thank you.”

He grins, giving her hand a small squeeze, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> interact w me!!  
> twitter: ditesdaughter  
> tumblr: percasbeths


	16. Chapter 12, Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm gonna get v sappy in the notes plz don't mind me

**PERCY**

  
  


Their last winter break is spent the exact same as it always is, in New York City in his childhood apartment, except this time it’s filled with work. The firm Annabeth interns at during the school year offered her a winter internship at their sister branch in New York City, and she didn’t hesitate to say yes. Percy, on the other hand, works at the hospital in California seasonally, and when he got to New York Paul helped him secure a seasonal job at a nearby firm specialized in social work and children’s cases. They were stepping stones, really– them planting seeds so they can secure jobs once they graduate. 

While Annabeth had a nice 9-5 schedule, Percy’s was much more hectic. When he wasn’t working, he was spending as much time as he could with Estelle and Annabeth. The two of them have gotten close throughout the years, but especially recently, Estelle’s developed an attachment to Annabeth. She practically idolized her, and Percy didn’t blame her– Annabeth told her stories about Camp Half-Blood and Estelle thought she was a hero. 

He hates days where he works late and Annabeth’s home early, mostly because it just means he can’t spend the full day with them. He gets into the apartment at around 7, and he’s more than ready to pass out. As soon as his bag hits the floor, he makes his way to the living room, and pauses. 

Annabeth and Estelle are laying together, his sister buried in Annabeth’s chest. _Avatar’s_ playing on tv and there’s a massive bowl of half-eaten popcorn on the coffee table in front of them. Estelle is in her favorite Christmas pajamas, a bright red onesie with Rudolf cartoons scattered all over, while Annabeth’s wearing Percy’s old high school hoodie. From where he’s standing, her curly hair is splayed out across the cushion and he can see the ‘Jackson’ printed on the back of the hoodie, stark white against the navy blue of the fabric. They’re both asleep, and Percy can feel his heart fluttering at the sight. Carefully, he takes a photo of the two of them, and then, rather than waking them, he re-exits the apartment. 

He dials his mom’s number as soon as he’s out of their apartment. 

“Hey, hon, what’s up?” Her voice rings out on the other end, and Percy carefully crosses the street, “Can you meet me at the jeweller on 79th?”

“I’ll be out of this meeting in ten, I can be there in fifteen.” She pauses, “Is there any particular reason you’re asking me to meet you at a jewelry store, Percy?”

Even though she can’t see him, he can feel his ears burning, and he lets out a breath as he crosses the street, “I’m doing something very stupid and I need your advice.”

They hang up minutes later, and Percy waits patiently on the curb for his mother to show up. His brain is reeling and doesn’t quite know what he’s doing, but at the same time he’s never been more certain.

His mom shows up and her cheeks are flushed from the cold, but she still manages a warm smile, “You sure about this?”

He doesn’t even need to explain it to her, and he nods, “I don’t– I probably won’t use it anytime soon, mostly because she made me promise to wait till after graduation, but I just–” 

He pauses, taking in a breath, and properly meets his mom’s eyes, “I want it on hand, you know?”

She grabs his hand, giving it a small squeeze, and there’s a knowing look on her face, “I know I should be against this, but Perce– I know. You–” She shakes her head slightly, a small laugh leaving her, “You look at her like she hangs the stars in the sky, like she’s the only thing that matters in the world. And I’ve watched you two, and I _know_ you two are it for each other.”

She squeezes his hand once again, “Come on. Let’s find the perfect one.” 

An hour later, Sally Jackson is tucking a small, velvet box into her purse for safekeeping and Percy’s bank account is much slimmer than it was before– but he can’t stop the giddy smile that’s on his lips. 

  
  
  


When they’re halfway through the spring semester, the real stress starts to kick in. Percy’s grades are decent and he’s on schedule to graduate, but he can’t seem to secure a job. Annabeth, on the other hand, already accepted a job offer when she’d completed her winter internship at an architecture firm in the city. Of course, she had three years of experience, a 4.0 GPA, and tremendous letters of recommendation in her pocket, so her receiving the offer so early on came as no shock to him, yet he was still nervous. 

As he was working on a paper for one of his classes, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders. “Seaweed Brain, it’s two am.” 

Annabeth’s voice rings out in his ear, and one of his hands moves to grip hers, and he gives her hand a small squeeze, “I need, like, ten more minutes.”

“ _Now_.” She mumbles sleepily, pressing a kiss to his neck. “You can finish it tomorrow.”

“Annabeth.” He sighs, but she’s trailing kisses down his neck and his resolve is quickly fading. Annabeth’s hand reaches over and shuts the laptop, “I can’t sleep without you.”

“I’m coming.” He says, almost defeatedly, and he can feel Annabeth’s smile against his skin. He drags himself off the sofa and into the bedroom, Annabeth wrapped around him. She’s practically sleep-walking, seeing as she got up just to get him to bed. Once they’re settled, he tugs the duvet over the both of them as she buries herself into his chest. 

It’s her favorite position– Annabeth never admits it, but she’s a cuddler. More importantly, she’s a little spoon. She loves it when Percy’s arms are around her and he knows this full well. His arms easily wrap around her, and he plants a kiss to her hairline. She’s already breathing deeply, her chest rising and falling in a steady pace against his, and the thin fabric of his shirt on her is doing nothing to hide her heartbeat against his. 

His attention momentarily shifted to his sock drawer. Inside a black pair shoved deep in the back was the box he’d bought almost two months ago. He had no intention of pulling it out anytime soon, but he liked the fact that it was there. He presses another sleepy kiss to Annabeth’s forehead, allowing his eyes to close. He’d finish that stupid paper tomorrow. 

The next morning, Percy wakes up the smell of coffee and humming in the kitchen. It’s a friday, meaning they both had a late start to their day– all they had were evening classes. She’s pouring her mug of coffee as he wraps himself around her, burying his head into the crook of her neck. He feels her laugh, “Good morning.”

He smiles against her skin, pressing a kiss to her collarbone, “Morning. You’re up early.”

She spins, wrapping her arms around his neck, “I was gonna make you breakfast, but you woke up earlier than I expected.”

He rests her forehead against hers, “Are you saying I should go back to bed?”

She nods once, a playful smile on her lips, “ _Please_ go back to bed.”

He hums, brushing his lips against hers. He’s about to kiss her when his phone rings in his pajama pocket, and he lets out a low groan. Annabeth laughs, pulling away from him, “Answer it.”

“I’d rather kiss you.” He responds easily, and she rolls her eyes, “I’ll make breakfast– You answer your phone.”

He doesn’t bother checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Percy Jackson?” An unfamiliar male voice speaks on the other end and Percy furrows his brows, “Yes, who’s calling?”

“Oh, good! I’m Tim from the Johnson Brother’s firm– You applied for our intern position online, correct?”

Percy’s eyes widen, and Annabeth shoots him a look that he momentarily ignores, “Yeah– Yes, I did.”

“Well, I was wondering if we could schedule an interview? I understand you’re currently residing in California for college, but we can definitely arrange for a video interview if you’re interested. I’ve heard good things from the references you provided.”

“Yes, I’d love to!” Percy punches the air, “Just name a time.”

They schedule a time and Percy messily scribbles it onto a notepad littered with groceries they need to buy. Once he hangs up, he lets out a loud breath, and Annabeth’s staring at him expectantly, “Well?”

“That was one of the firms I applied to–” He begins, breathless. His heart’s pounding in his chest and there’s a stupid smile on his face as he continues, “And I got an interview!”

Annabeth jumps into his arms, and she’s yelling out a congrats as he holds her up, spinning her around their small kitchen. Once her feet are back on the ground, her eyes meet his, “I knew you’d hear back– You were always so negative!”

“Yeah, well it’s just an interview, so nothing’s–”

“You _will_ get it, Perce.” She cuts him off, and her voice holds so much certainty that all his fears are dissolved from his chest. She tightens her arms around his neck, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He breathes out, pressing a kiss to her lips. When they part, she gives him a smile, “My class got cancelled today– Any chance you’ll skip out and spend time with me?”

He’s heavily inclined to say yes, but he knows his professor’s strict and he can’t risk getting him even more angry than he already is, “I really want to, but I can’t miss classes.”

She stares at him for a moment, “How much have I influenced you?”

He laughs, shaking his head, “More than you know.”

And he’s kissing her again.

  
  
  


When Percy gets home from his class that day, he feels drained. Although it was only an hour and a half, that professor seems to make it drag as if it was all day and Percy’s ADHD certainly didn’t help; his notebook was filled to the brim with doodles, scribbles, and half written notes that are unreadable and impossible to understand to anyone but him. 

Annabeth’s on the couch when he gets home, and she's half watching a movie and half working on a sketch, but when she sees him, she pauses both. “How was class?”

He groans, laying down on the couch beside her and resting his head in her lap. Almost immediately, her fingers are running through his hair, and a wave of comfort overpasses him. “I feel brain dead. It’s only 7 P.M and I’m ready to pass out. Whoever said cognitive psych was easy: I hope you choke.”

Annabeth laughs, and he feels a flurry of butterflies in his chest as she leans down, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “Well, I ordered Pad Thai. You hungry?”

He nods, and she gives him a tap on the cheek, “Well then get up, Seaweed Brain, so I can heat up a plate for you.”

Percy groans, burying his head into her stomach, “Nevermind,” He mumbles against the fabric, “I don’t want food.”

“Percy!” She laughs, and he can feel it against his face, “Don’t be a baby.”

He sighs, “Fine.”

He sits up just enough for her to slide out from underneath him, and once she’s gone, his head rests onto the sofa. He’s almost asleep when she places a plate on the coffee table, and her fingers run through his hair, “Get up and eat.”

Percy groans, but complies anyway. As he’s sitting up, he properly gazes at her, and suddenly he freezes. Around Annabeth’s neck, resting right beside the coral pendant, lays the ring he bought in winter. “ _Annabeth_!”

“What?” She furrows her brows, and Percy shoots her a glare, “Don’t play dumb– The ring!”

“Oh, yeah.” She responds so casually and absentmindedly and Percy can feel panic building in his chest, “How did you…?”

He trails off, and Annabeth shrugs, meeting his eyes, “I found it two weeks ago. You’re not that good at hiding it.”

“Are you mad?” He’s almost nervous as he speaks, “I know we agreed for after graduation, but I don’t know what happened during winter break but one day all I wanted to do was buy it and I just– I’m sorry if you’re angry but I wasn’t even planning–”

“ _Percy_.” She cuts him off, and he immediately goes silent as she climbs into his lap. Her arms go around his neck, “I’m not mad. Gods, why would I be mad?”

Her eyes are shining and they’re such a beautiful stormy gray he feels his heart clench in his chest, “I love it– It’s gorgeous. And I kind of guessed you weren’t going to use it anytime soon, but I like it. A lot. And I put it on because even though we aren’t engaged, I like the idea of people knowing that I’m permanently taken.” She takes in a breath, “That I’m permanently _yours._ ”

His heart swells in his chest and she gives him a feather light kiss, “I love you.”

He kisses her properly. his hands gripping either side of her as he tugs her against him. After everything she just said to him, all he wants to do is kiss her till his brain melts. For as much as he loved that light kiss she’d just given him, it definitely didn’t reflect on how intense his emotions are, so he’s kissing her with all he’s got.

“I love you,” He breathes out, pressing another kiss to her lips, “I love you _so_ much.”

She’s letting out small pants that he’s swallowing with every kiss, taking her in as her hands entangle into his hair. Her sketchbook and his food are long abandoned on the table, and all he can do is hold her tighter and not let go, because she’s _his_ and he’s _hers_ and they’re _it_ for each other– regardless of anything else. 

If any of their friends notice the new pendant on her necklace, (which– how could they _not_? Even in Percy’s standards, which were pretty blind when it came to jewelry, it _was_ a pretty big rock. He’d done good.) no one says a word. They exchange knowing glances and at one point Piper makes a remark that maybe Percy makes ‘enough bank to not be allowed to be a trophy husband’, but they ignore them. The little moment they’d shared, and the ring, are for _them_ and no one else. When he actually does propose, then he’ll welcome comments, but until then, all he cares for is Annabeth.

  
  
  
  


Commencement day comes by quicker than anyone expected it to. Their ceremony was being held at UC Berkeley, rather than New Rome University, but that was mostly because of the sheer number of mortal family members who were coming, and partially to keep up the mist illusion. 

Annabeth and Percy’s apartment is a mix of packed up boxes and a whirlwind of messiness– They were moving to New York within a week of today, and Annabeth wanted to get ahead of the hectic packing. They also had to ship everything cross country, which would take forever if they don’t get ahead. 

They wake up and it’s an immediate flurry of Annabeth pushing him to get ready, but Percy just rolls on top of her, holding her in place with both his arms on either side of her head. “Give it a minute, Wise Girl.” He rasps, pressing a kiss to her jaw. 

She sighs, “The ceremony’s at 11.”

“And it’s 7. We have time.” He says against her skin, a rush of satisfaction passing through him as her hands entangle in his hair. He meets her eyes, “We’re graduating today.”

She’s got a smile on her lips that causes Percy’s heart race to quicken, “I know.”

“We’re moving back to New York in a week.”

“I know.”

“Excited?”

“ _Terrified_.” She says in a breathless voice, then tilts her head to the side, “This sounds familiar.”

He presses his forehead to hers, “I can’t believe this is happening.” 

She leans up, brushing her lips to his, “We did it.”

“I won’t believe that till I’m watching you give the commencement speech and I have a diploma in my hands.” 

She laughs, and it’s bright in his ear as she flips the two of them. She’s hovering over him, now, and he can see the engagement ring in the air, right above his chest. Her hands rest on his skin, “Did you not get the ‘congrats you’re graduating’ email, Seaweed Brain?”

Her lips are against his jaw, and he has to grip her hips so he can keep his attention on what she’s saying, “I did but– uh.” 

He stops because Annabeth’s lips are now on his neck, and suddenly he can’t even remember what they were even talking about. “Hm?” She breathes against his skin, and Percy can feel her smile.

He gives her a pinch, “You snake!”

She laughs into his shoulder, before meeting his eyes. There’s an amused expression on her face, and the sight makes his breath hitch, “We need to get ready.”

He hums in agreement, but neither of them make a move to get up. Instead, she kisses him and his brain melts.

Three hours later, Percy’s watching Annabeth put the finishing touches on her makeup as he slips on the navy blue suit he’d bought solely for their graduation. She meets his eyes in the mirror, “What?”

He shrugs, walking over and pressing a kiss to her temple, “You’re beautiful.”

She gives his chest a small shove, and he can see a faint blush on her cheeks, even through her makeup, “Go make me another cup of coffee and stop distracting me.”

He lets out a huff, “You compliment her once and suddenly you’re banished from your own room.”

Annabeth laughs, then grabs his hand and tugs him down so she can kiss him, “You look handsome, by the way.”

He grins, “I still have to put on my tie.”

“I’ll help you with it once I’m dressed, now go.” She gives him another short kiss before pushing him out of the room. He’s making her a cup of coffee when his mom texts, reminding him they’re almost to their apartment to pick them up. 

As he types a quick response back, he can hear Annabeth’s heels against the wood floors, and he looks up. He feels like he’s been punched in the gut. The white dress looks even better on her than he remembered, and with the gold heels she’s wearing her legs look so good he has to stop himself from staring. Her makeup is minimal and the eyeliner brings out the grays in her eyes and she’s wearing gold earrings and a few bracelets. She’s still in the coral pendant necklace, but took the ring off the chain. 

She takes a few steps towards him, grabbing onto the gold tie around his neck, her voice nothing but teasing, “Are you going to compliment me or are you just going to stare?”

He meets her eyes as she works on knotting the fabric, “ _Fuck–_ you’re stunning.”

She grins, lowering the collar of his white button and smoothing out the fabric, her touch lingering on his chest. She’s already got her cap on, and Percy can see pins holding it into place. “Thank you.”

He wants to kiss her, but before he can, her phone rings. He watched her pull out from underneath the hem of her dress, and Percy nearly dies right then and there because she’s wearing a fucking garter to hold her phone and _how can he focus on anything else when that’s the_ hottest _thing he’s ever seen?_

“Percy!” She snaps him out of his stare, and there’s an amused glint in her eyes despite the annoyance in her voice.

“Yeah?” His attention is still not completely with her, and she rolls her eyes, “Your brain is seaweed, oh my Gods.”

She huffs, “Your mom is downstairs– Can you _please_ grab our gowns and your cap while I attempt to chug a mug of coffee?”

He complies, finally dragging his gaze away from her so he can go grab their things. He carefully drapes their gowns over his arm and props his cap messily on his head, and right before he leaves the bedroom, he pauses. On the vanity, sitting on top of Annabeth’s small accessory box, rests the ring. He assumes she left it there so she can easily pull it back on when they get home, but the way it sits there makes him stare.

“Percy, if we’re late Sally will kill us!” Annabeth calls, and before he can lose his nerve, he pockets the ring, “Coming!”

  
  
  


The ceremony goes by faster than Percy thought it would, and soon enough he’s spinning Annabeth around, their diplomas dangling from their hands as he kisses her. 

“Percy, we get it, you’re in love, but can we _please_ congratulate the girl?” Thalia’s voice rings out in his ear, and he pulls away to shoot her a glare as Annabeth laughs into his shoulder. “Don’t think so.”

His arms tighten around her, and Piper rolls her eyes, “When I say Percy is the worst, I mean it.”

“Hey! I just graduated, be nice!” He defends, as Annabeth untangles herself from him to hug Thalia, and Piper shoots him a grin, “That’s exactly why I’m bullying.”

He rolls his eyes, but Piper pulls him into a hug regardless, and against his shoulder, she mutters a small, “I’m proud of you.”

Percy grins, “Thanks, Pipes.”

Hours later, they’re at the Chase household, the backyard covered in gold and purple streamers and there’s _‘Congrats Grads’_ banners all across the trees. Both his mom and Mrs. Chase planned the party behind Annabeth and Percy’s backs, and when they got there, the two of them instantly teared up.

Percy never expected to graduate college– Hell, he never expected to get _into_ college. He was denoted the ‘troubled kid’ in school, the one who teachers constantly scolded. His report cards and parent-teacher meetings were filled with _‘if only he paid attention_ ’ and _‘he needs to apply himself better’,_ and none of it connected until Camp Half-Blood. Once he was there, he felt so much better about school, about studying, and he managed to make it through. 

Annabeth grabs onto his arm, shaking him out of his thoughts. They’d long since discarded their caps and gowns but remained in their graduation outfits, and she shoots him a small look, “You okay?”

“We did it.” He breathes out, and she gives him a smile, “ _You_ did it, Seaweed Brain.”

“Yeah, but–” He faces her, “I couldn’t have done it without you, y’know? I just– I’m a mess, most of the time, but you… You keep me grounded. You’ve _always_ kept me grounded. Everytime everything felt like it was collapsing all I had to do was look at you and it was okay.”

Her eyes are shining as she presses a small kiss to his lips, “I love you.”

He gives her a small squeeze, “I love you, too.”

Before he can kiss her again, Leo claps his hands together, and a silence falls across the party as he lowers the music. “I don’t know about you guys,” He begins, a wide grin on his lips as he meets Percy’s eye, “but we all heard Annabeth’s great commencement speech, but we have yet to hear from our man Percy. So, what do you say?”

Annabeth gives his hand a small squeeze and makes a move to pull away from him, but he holds her tighter and meets her eye. The ring in his pocket suddenly feels heavy, “You said after graduation.”

It’s barely a whisper, and Annabeth’s brows furrow, “What?”

“It’s after graduation.” He says that a bit louder, and takes a small step back. He lets go of one of her hands and reaches into his pocket and pulls out the ring, and once Annabeth sees it, her eyes widen, “Percy…”

“Hear me out, okay?” He begins, his voice shaky, and he can faintly hear Piper gasp and Thalia let out a small, “Holy Hades”, but his gaze is on Annabeth and the way her stormy gray eyes are shining with tears. 

“When I first met you, I remember _wishing_ that you’d think I was cool. I woke up to a girl with princess curls and the prettiest gray eyes staring at me and I wanted her to think I was cool– that I was some hero for fighting the Minotaur.” He pauses, and momentarily looks around him, to the faces of his friends and family, “You know what she told me?” He lets out a breathless laugh, “She told me I drooled in my sleep.”

He looks back at her, and she’s laughing, too, “You still do.”

He shakes his head, and continues, “You– Annabeth Chase, have been _it_ for me since that day. You were it for me when you annoyingly invited yourself onto the quest I didn’t even wanna go on, you were it for me when you helped me save Grover from that cyclops, you were it for me when I went against all quest rules to save you from Atlas. I didn’t even get it back then– All I remember was finding out you were in danger and my only thought was how _desperately_ I needed to save you. For every stupid quest I was dragged on, _you_ were right there to help me out. And yeah, maybe it took me a year after you kissed me in a volcano for me to fully grasp that I wanted to be with you, but I was also prophesied to die, so you can’t really blame me.”

She laughs, and Percy can see tears rolling down her cheeks, “And I don’t understand how we were fated to hate each other because of our parents, because I _can’t_ see a world, or a lifetime, where I could hate Annabeth Chase. Annabeth, I love you. I’m _in_ fucking love with you– Have been, honestly, since my sixteen birthday when you told me you’re never going to make things easy. You were right, by the way– My life _never_ was easy, but that didn’t even matter, because I had you. I had you then, I have you now, and I want you for the _rest_ of my life– I want the apartment in New York, I want summer reunions at camp, I want those four kids and a retirement plan in New Athens. I want it all, but _only_ with you. And I know we’re young and people might think I’m absolutely insane for this, but…”

He pauses to go down on his knee, one hand holding the ring up to her while the other squeezes her hand, their fingers intertwined, “I planned our futures at sixteen years old. You were the one memory I had and I didn’t even know if I’d ever see you again– but I still saw a future. I have loved you for far too long and for as many bad decisions as I’ve made in my life, you, and this, will never be one I regret. You’re the love of my life, my first and only love, my past, future, and everything in between, my home– I’ve loved every single year we’ve been together and I want so many more. So, Annabeth Chase, will you marry me?”

She’s both laughing and crying as she nods, a string of yeses leaving her lips, “Gods, _yes,_ Percy. _Yes._ ” 

Her voice is almost desperate and he exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding in as he slides the ring onto her finger before standing up. He cups her face in his hands and kisses her, and the kiss tastes like salt and a hint of cake and her arms are gripping the front of his suit jacket like her life depends on it. 

When their lips part, she’s looking at him with so much love and adoration, and it takes him a moment to realize he was doing the same thing– he was drinking her in, taking in every piece of her and realizing that this sight– her, with tear streaked cheeks and messy curls and puffy lips from their kiss– was his future, and he had no complaints.

Annabeth Chase was his future, and he couldn’t wait to see it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi. wow. um thank u?? so much?? for reading this??? like i can't put Into Words how grateful i am for anyone who sat down and read this, left kudos, commented, bookmarked .. literally anything- it all means so much to me. u all have my entire heart, and i AM ! planning an epilogue set many years into the future, but until then i hope my one shot on their wedding is enough (it's already up!) 🥺 i love u all- thank u!
> 
> tumblr: percasbeths


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